Hisakata Megami
by Writheheart
Summary: Yuna just wanted to find a place where she could belong. She never thought she could find love..in a renegade racer.
1. Prelude: Der Wille Sich Entwickeln

"**_Relinquish your pain unto me." – Xenosaga I, KOS-MOS_**

Her real name was Yunalesca Megami. Yunalesca – more commonly know as Yuna – was an android. As all androids were, Yuna was beautiful. Blessed with pale twilight blue eyes and beautiful tresses of snowy-white hair and porcelain pale skin, Yuna seemed like a moon goddess. She had a supple body of a young teen, a graceful stride and delicate movements.

Her creator was a man named Cid Megami. Cid was a scientist that dealt in the creation of battle androids and assistant cyborgs. He also ran a small airship business. To him each android was the same, the same meaning in life, only to serve warring breed of humanity. But Yuna was different, Yuna was his daughter. The idea came to him when he saw a porcelain doll that his sister had, lying innocently on her old canopy bed, surrounded by dust coated pillows and blankets. The doll looked so alone, so sad, and so broken. Just like him.

He had toiled endlessly, gathering DNA from his own DNA and his sister's. He worked for three years on end, with no help. And finally, Yunalesca Megami was born inside a false womb, already a teen ready to face the cruel world. To prepare his 'daughter', Cid made Yunalesca cold, powerful, robotic, devious, spine-chilling and protective of herself. She was tolerably arrogant and logical to the point of being accurate. Life was cruel to Yuna and she cruel to the world.

This is naught but the origin of her life.

**_Chapter One: Chaos & Order_**

Emotionless eyes blinked slowly at the fairy emblazed hard-covered notebook. The eyes looked at the small note that came with it. A small, loving smile caressed the woman-child's cherry-blossom pink lips and porcelain pale skin.

_Dear Yunie, _

_I'm coming into town later this week. Happy birthday, darling. I'll see you soon._

_Love, Cid_

Yunalesca placed the note on the dark, cherry oak desk and stood up from the red velvet cushioned seat. Shell-pink painted nails gripped the back of the black cherry chair as the mistress of the room looked around. The room was painted a soft crème with a border of Italian vines and purple wine grapes. The carpet was a soft, warm wine-red. A black cherry queen sized bed was in the northeast corner of the room, complemented by a wine-red velvet coverlet and pillows. Two large bookcases were opposite the bed, the desk across from it. A vanity set was in the southeast corner of the room and a mirror above the dresser in the southeast corner of the bedroom. On the top shelves of the bookcases were porcelain dolls and statuettes. A single doll was meshed between the pillows, it was Cid's sister's doll, where Cid mooched the idea for Yunalesca.

"Hey! Yunie!" Yunalesca turned around at a childish voice and looked at the floor in front of her. A pure white bunny two feet tall and six inches wide look up at her with wide, innocent icy-blue eyes. Its soft, frothy ears with the velveteen pink insides flopped as it jumped up and down on its chubby legs.

"Yes, Bambi?" Yuna asked softly. The mechanical bunny leapt up into Yuna's arms.

"There's a package for ya in the mail room! I think it was the Comm. Device you ordered awhile ago!" Bambi chirped cheerfully. Yuna kissed the bunny on its faux-fur/velvet forehead and tucked it under her arm.

"WAH! Lemme go! Where are you taking me! Police! Help!" Bambi wailed, as Yuna bit back giggles.

"Hush, Bambi, I'm going to place the Comm. Device's mother board inside you." Yuna explained in her monotone voice. Bambi peered up at Yuna and stuck her pink tongue out at her mistress. Yuna tapped the creature on the nose and opened the oak doors. The hallway's tiles were made of marble, the walls covered in dark oak paneling, picture of famous portraits like Lady Summoner Yuki, Lord Summoner Braska and Lady Summoner Shiva.

The Mail Room was a small building located to the north of the main campus of Luca Private. Yuna walked up to the small countertop and looked at the small boxy squares. She rapped her knuckle on the countertop three times and waited. She set Bambi on the counter and the mechanical bunny amused herself by hopping around. A crisp looking woman appeared from the back room, a small box held in her hands. The stern woman's face creased into a smile when she saw the android.

"Hello, Miss Yunalesca. I have a package for you." The woman stated warmly. Yuna kept her bi-colored eyes on the clock above the woman's head. The woman placed the brown-wrapped parcel on the oak countertop. Yuna took the package and placed it in the deep pocket of her jacket.

"Thank you, Mrs. Yuan. It is much appreciated." Yuna replied, her voice in a cold tone. She gather Bambi in her arms and turned on her heel and walked away. She ignored the hissed of contempt of other scholar students, their hisses of insults and filthy rumors.

"_I heard she was a failed experiment!" "I heard her father created her for mere pleasure!" _Yuna's grip on Bambi increased as her metal framed body walked gracefully amongst worthless humans. Cold eyes that cloud sense heat signatures and pulse rates stayed unchanged. Yuna was blessed with out the emotions of rage, anger, hate and bitterness.

In her room, Yuna sat on the velvet chair and placed the package on the desk. With deft fingers, she opened the parcel and pulled what looked like a miniature sci-fi alien space ship.

"Bambi, come here." Yuna instructed softly. Bambi looked at her mistress reproachfully and hesitantly hopped onto the desk. In a single, fluid movement, Yuna grabbed Bambi and pinned her to the desk and opened the small data core of Bambi.

"Yunie! WAH! Stop! That tickles! Ha, ha!" Bambi began to shriek as Yuna loaded data into the bunny's main frame. Yuna's fingers easily rerouted wires, loaded up data, create fire walls and placed codes for hacking into systems. Humming a song under her breath, Yuna finished the last wire and took the small Comm. Device from Bambi's data frame. Yuna unpinned Bambi and let the bunny hop around. The bunny shook her head, the floppy ears bouncing about the bunny's forehead and grinned.

"I've never felt _this _good since Cid made me!" Bambi chirped. Yuna kissed the bunny's fuzzy forehead.

"Bambi, please shut down. Cid is coming over tomorrow, and I want you to be well rested." Bambi stuck her tongue out and shut herself down. Yuna stripped from her black military print jacket, black shirt and black leather pants. She snagged her pajamas and shoved the camisole and short on. She sauntered back to her bed and crawled deeply within her covers. Her last reflection was of her father, creator, and god.

"YUNIE! YUNIE! Wake up!" Bambi chirped, bouncing on her mistress's belly. In a sadistic slash Yuna sent the mechanical bunny across the room, where Bambi fell into a pile of dirty clothes. Yuna sent her coves fluttering to the floor and walked over to the dresser, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She opened her dresser and pulled out previously chosen clothes and tossed her night clothes. On went thigh-length icy-blue knee-socks, over the knee-socks, a skirt that was sliced up the side until it stopped at her waist, and over that, a baby-tee belly-shirt. And ankle-length boots. She groomed her hair until it gleamed like ice and placed a thin circlet about her head, a citrine icy-blue tear-shaped sapphire.

She swirled around and looked at Bambi.

"Well?" She asked softly. Bambi hopped up and down.

"Simply marvelous! But why so pretty?" Bambi chirped. Yuna lowered her twilight blue eyes.

"I want to leave Luca Private. I want to travel with Cid." Yuna mumbled. Bambi grinned and jumped into Yuna's arms.

"Well, let's go see your ole man!" Bambi cheered. Yuna kissed Bambi's forehead and opened the door.

* * *

"YUNA!" Cid cried. Yuna leapt into her father's arms as he twirled her around. She embraced him, laughing. Once he set his daughter now, he placed his hands on his hips and looked at Yuna.

"So, how've ya been, darlin'?" Cid questioned.

"I want to travel with you, Cid." Yuna stated clearly. Cid looked at Yuna and smiled.

"Bout time you ask me! We leave at dawn tomorrow! Now tell me how's this semester gone?"

Yuna looked at Cid's newest airship, the _Shera_. In her hand was a large satchel and Bambi in her arms. She looked to her father.

"So, the _Shera _is completely yours?"

"Yup. My latest model."

"Where are we going first?"

"Besaid."

* * *

END OF FIRST CHAPTER. OK, the first chapter isn't the greatest, but this is the first chapter. Please R&R. And the Yuna is this, is our beloved brown haired beauty, I just changed her looks. 


	2. Chapter One: Also Sprach Eris

"**_I like it here. I'm the only living thing that exists in this place, there's nothing else. No anger, no sadness, no happiness, not even a future. The only thing that's here… is me. And that will eventually fade away. It feels good. This is exactly what I've been searching for all this time_... _you'll eventually find yourself here too… I'm sure of it... it won't be much longer. I know, I can tell__…" – Xenosaga, Cherenkov_**

**_Chapter One: Apocrypha of Zanark / Valefor's Crest _**

_**The Shera – God's Eyes**_

Cid had really gone all out on the _Shera_. The _Shera _was colored parchment crème and a warm, dark wine red. It had the basic shape of an airship, but instead of a large, circular wind generator, it had two, smaller circular generators on either side of the ship. The deck was made out of a mix of diamond chips, metal and fiberglass, and its skeleton was made of stainless steel. It allowed for a wider range of vision, and ideal place to hang out, if Cid didn't throw the perpetrator out on his carcass. The Control Room was sparse, having only two stations for controlling the ship, one on the left and the other on the right. And a large control station was in the center, and a small holographic sphere below the main station. The rest of the Control Room was filled with weapon cabinets, spare parts, and other nick-knacks.

Leaving the Control Room was a semi-long hallway filled with bluish-purple doors that led to different rooms. Farther down the hallway were two branching paths, the right going to the storage and another path branching from the right, going to the hangar. The left went to another storage room and another path branched off to spare boarding rooms and a small lab. A small kitchen was located below the Control Room.

Cid had no crew members, only cyborgs and battle androids who he had bought from the military and from the laboratory he made them for. He was only able to scrap four androids, three males and one female. The three males were Brother, Wilhelm, and Kimahri. The one female was Sister. Brother was bald and had a tattoo of a phoenix on his cranium; he had dark caramel skin and lively claret eyes. Wilhelm had a mop of wintry white hair – much like Yuna's – , amber-red eyes and light skin. Kimahri had grey shoulder length grey hair and a goatee, and shrewd black eyes; his skin was a dark caramel. Sister had brown hair and lively, naive blue eyes with crème colored skin.

Yuna's room was the second door on the left from the exit of the Control Room. Her room was meshed between Cid's and Kimahri's. Her room was painted a soft bluish-lavender. A single bed was attached to the wall, drawers beneath it, and a soft and warm twilight blue fleece coverlet spanned the bed. A desk was across from the bed and two book cases to either side of the desk. A small blue-grey chest was on the desk that was filled with mechanical parts and self-maintenance tools and upgrades. And that was Yuna's current location.

She wasn't mad, no; she wasn't programmed with that emotion. But she was annoyed. And she was annoyed at Cid. Why? Cid had told her she needed to find a job. Oh, she found a job alright, but it was a pity she had to exchange three locks of her hair for it. Yeah, hair, but hair held DNA and in voodoo rituals, hair can be used to curse someone. And in Yuna's case, that someone was Kimahri. She had traded valuable DNA for Kimahri's job as the navigator. And it was rather sad that the navigation computer frame was bugged.

Bambi looked up at Yuna and butted her mistress with her large head.

"Oh! Yunie! Cheer up! We'll be in Besaid in two days!" Bambi chirped. Yuna dropped a computer chip on the desk.

"I havefinally completed fixing the mainframe. Bambi, fixing the navigator's base is very important right now. I must talk to you later." Yuna stated clearly and tucked the square computer chip in the pocket of her crimson pants. She left the room in graceful strides and left a bamboozled Bambi behind, whom had her head cocked to one side.

Entering the Control Room, Yuna crooked her head to look at Cid. He was currently taking to Sister, who held a parcel in her hands. Yuna walked over to Cid and placed an ivory pale hand on his tanned, broad shoulder. Cid turned to look at his daughter as she studied him. Cid had sandy blond hair, glass-green eyes and stubble along his sharp cheekbones.

"Yeah, what is it, darlin'?" Yuna cocked her head to one side, as if in a childish manner. Her hair tumbled to the right as her emotionless eyes scanned her father.

"My name is Yuna, Cid, not 'darlin'. I have fixed the data chip. May I be permitted to log on and begin my job so I won't be kicked off the _Shera_?" Yuna solicited plaintively. Cid let a small grin cross his face and rubbed his short, blond hair.

"I know, darlin'. It's called a nickname. Yeah, go on, darlin'. Start a new account, think of a password, and fix the navigation data up." Cid instructed. Yuna nodded slowly and walked off to the right computer. The previous person who worked the navigation was very messy. With a small frown on her pale face, Yuna brushed the mess to one side and sat in the chair. She took the chip from her pant's pocket and opened the small panel that covered the precious mother board. With deft fingers, Yuna reattached the chip and rerouted wires. One spark later, and a muffled grunt, Yuna fixed the navigation.

"New password…?" Yuna mused. With a moment of hesitation she wrote in her password. Marienkind. The computer 'hmm'ed and a translucent claret screen popped up. With the large keyboard spanned in front of her, Yuna began to type.

"Cid? There is an 89.99999998 chance that we might miss the next jet stream. But if we change our flight pattern to a height of 34 thousand feet, it is probable we can catch the jet stream and reach Besaid within six hours. Shall we change our pattern?" Yuna brought a map up and showed the changed pattern. Cid nodded. Yuna turned back to her computer.

"You will need to make a fifty-six degree turn to make the next four thousand feet. I can assist, if needed."

"Naw. I can drive this beauty by myself. Yuna, call in the Besaid Airship Harbor and tell 'em we're commin' in early." Cid instructed. Yuna nodded and placed a pair of headphones over her ears. A screen of a brown haired woman appeared.

"Who is this?" The woman demanded. Yuna looked at her coolly.

"This is the _Shera _asking permission to enter the Besaid Harbor six hours early. We are catching the south-southeast monsoon." Yuna rattled off. The woman looked down, mumbled something, and looked back up.

"Yes. We can change that. Six hours you said?" Yuna nodded. "OK, we'll see you then." Yuna exited the woman from her computer screen and looked at Cid severely.

"Cid, why are we going to Besaid?" Cid turned the wheel in his hand, and looked down.

"I have to pick up cargo, get repairs, and let you explore. But Besaid is the first place for racers to sign on to sponsors. I've offered to sign on two." Yuna turned her attention back to the computer screen.

"Cid….what does 'Marienkind' mean?" Yuna asked softly. Cid's head jerked up and blinked unintelligently at Yuna.

"What? Where did you come up with that?" Yuna caressed locks of her snowy-white hair and ducked her head.

"It came into my head, like a forgotten memory. Like it was something I _needed _to know. What does it mean?" She reiterated.

"Child of Mary. Yuna, don't think about it too much. I'll figure it out. Just keep your eyes peeled." Yuna nodded slowly and began to type on the computer. She wondered why Marienkind popped into her head. More questions flooded to her. What was Zanarkand? Who was Baralai? She shook her head. Maybe Kimahri _was _performing a voodoo ritual on her.

"Yuna!" Yuna looked up to Sister. Sister had her hands on her hips, and her brown hair twisted in her fingers. Her blue eyes flashed hazardously.

"Yes, Sister?" Yuna asked. She stood up and cracked her neck.

"Cid says to change!" Sister ordered. Yuna nodded her head shortly and looked to the computer clock. Five and a half hours had gone by. She shut down the computer and left the Control Room and walked the short distance to her room. Bambi was in Yuna's clothes, dragging a heavy jacket to Yuna's bed.

"Bambi, what are you doing? You know quite well I don't wear dresses." Yuna crossed her arms over her chest. Bambi stomped on Yuna's foot gently.

"Jeez! Yuna, Besaid is a very aristocratic state. They demand women to wear dresses. I though you knew that." Bambi chirped, her voice holding a tone of chiding. Yuna gently picked up Bambi and placed her on the oak desk, near the book Cid had gotten her. Yuna walked back to her bed and picked up the dress Bambi had dragged out for her. The skirt of the dress was a deep forest green and the top was a crème white. A tight, leather corset went around her lower chest, over her shoulders and tied in the front with a black, lace ribbon.

Tight, black, thigh length knee socks and ankle length boots with one inch heels adorned her legs. She grabbed the jacket Bambi was unsuccessfully trying to drag over to Yuna's bed. The coat was a creamy white, and dark brownish-grey fur adorned the lapels. The upper arm of the sleeves was the same brownish-grey; the rest of the sleeve was decked out in a leather, black gauntlet. She had kept two small clumps of hair on either side of her head and pulled some of her hair up and clipped it with a phoenix shaped hair brooch studded with emeralds and made of silver.

She looked to Bambi and turned her head to a mirror. She dropped her eyes to the desk and grabbed a sleek, black two tone m9 military pistol and placed it in the deep pocket of the trench coat. She pulled a drawer open and pulled out a knife wrapped around in iron wire. She tucked that in her other pocket and looked at Bambi.

"This is satisfactory?" She murmured. Bambi nodded.

"Yup-yup! Ohhh, you have a new e-mail!" Bambi chirped. "Umm. I'll let you check it later. I think it's the pistol upgrade from the BM." Yuna nodded and pulled a small bag from the drawer. She grabbed three magazines of bullets, Gil, and a pocket watch. She tucked the pouch in-between the corset and her dress.

Kimahri knocked on her door and slowly entered. Kimahri was dressed in a claret male _kimono _with a forest green _obi _with a golden-bronze border and a golden-brown over _kimono_. His grey hair was placed in a tight braid and a sheathed poleax was slung on his back, the iron spearhead glinting in the fluorescent white light.

"Yes, Kimahri? What is it?" Yuna solicited. Kimahri looked at Yuna's room.

"Cid informed me that I was to guard you and be an escort for the duration of our stay on Besaid." Kimahri instructed in a bored tone. Yuna blinked and sighed.

"When are we disembarking?" Yuna queried, smoothing invisible wrinkles in her dress.

"Now." Kimahri replied. Yuna kissed Bambi on her head and followed Kimahri, closing the door behind her. As she walked, she thought. She thought about that sort of feeling of precognition. She checked the hair brooch with her hand and ran her fingers down her snowy locks. Why were the suppressed feelings of worry, uneasiness and happiness awakening? She stopped for a moment. After a moment of hesitation, she entered the Control Room.

_**The Dancing Glyph: Hotel (Qualifications for Racers) – Sky's Looking Glass**_

The _Dancing Glyph_ was a large hotel, consisting of five floors. The first floor was separated into three large parts, a bar/diner, a recreational room and a large ball room/dining room. The bar/diner was a warm wine-red with a dark cherry/oak bar counter and shelves filled with wine, and spirits. Tall bar stools with soft cushions around the bar counter, and twenty circular tables made of dark oak or cherry spanned the room. Chandeliers made of wrought iron and black steel studded with light bulbs circled the ceiling. Red, green, crème and clear pieced together stained glass windows circled the bar/diner room. Pictures of aeons of Valefor, Shiva, Ixion, Ifrit, Bahamut, Yojimbo, Anima and the Magus Sisters decorated the walls and black and white pictures of random people. Wooden railing and stairs separated the bar/diner from the recreational room.

The recreational room was peacock green, blue and purple, mixed together in a marble print. Dark cherry tables swathed the room, with small oil lamps surrounded by red roses, pink hibiscus and violet begonias. Pots of tall, evergreen shrubs and bushes stood stoic around the room. Stained glass windows of angels, peacocks, unicorns, phoenixes and Sendings; painted green, blue, purple, silver and clear, adorned the walls. Chandeliers made of crystal, porcelain, and diamonds were chained to the ceiling, slight breezes causing the delicate stone to shimmer and touch each other. Pictures of royalty legions and of Hierarchs enveloped the walls. Table with silk and velvet table cloths and velvet backed chairs were evenly placed around the room. Small statuettes of aeons were positioned around the large room in confronting and fashionable ways. Obsidian glass doors with silver outlines of Shiva and Yojimbo separated the recreational room from the ballroom.

The ball room was painted marble white, light pearly pink, and light silver; complete with marble pillars with icons of nymphs, dryads, naiads, pixies, fairies, and demons. Chandeliers made of nothing but teardrop pearls, crystals and diamonds with find wires of gold. Marble statues of Shiva, Yojimbo and Ixion were dotted about the extravagant room. Tables painted silver, gold and bronze were placed two yards from the wall. Satin and lace table cloth adorned by plastic bouquets of roses and begonias covered the wooden tables and metal chairs with velvet cushions were placed around the tables. Stained glass windows of angels, aeons, and princesses; colored gold, silver, bronze and clear, were studded on the walls. Diamond-pained doors lead to a fragrance, indoor garden.

The garden was surrounded by a nearly non-existent glass dome. Broken pieces of conglomerate stone and cobble stone made a path, grass squeezing in-between the cracks between the stones. Trees of cherry blossoms, crap apples, Japanese Weeping Willows, begonias, roses, hibiscus, geraniums, and other colorful flowers made sweet-smelling aroma, and benches, fountains and statues of ceramic were dotted through out the garden and a small gazebo was in the heart of the garden where a fountain was in the middle, clean enough for drinking.

The second floor was a consistence of a kitchen, servants, and store rooms. The three other floors were made up of rooms. After the turn of the seventeenth century, multiple eruptions of volcanoes and earthquakes had unearthed a large portion of fertile land, connected directly to Besaid had made the island much larger (1). The island was separated into different districts, each appropriated named after their uses for the island. But in the current time frame, the Market District was the most popular, mostly because of the Racers. And the most popular place was the _Dancing Glyph_, and that's were Yuna was located.

She set the glass of wine down on the bar counter and looked blankly at the different urns of wine and spirits. The mahogany liquid moved smoothly as it sloshed gently in the cusp of the glass. Small bubbles rose to the surface slowly. She gently wrapped a delicate hand around the stem of the glass and raised it to her lips. She was told to wait here, wait for Cid and the two Racers he was sponsoring. Kimahri was sitting beside her, looking blankly at the sake he had ordered and paid a grand total of three Gil. Her wine was seven Gil, pretty cheap in such a nice place, though it was understandable due to the fact the hotel brought in millions of Gil each day. She had placed her knife surrounded by wire on the counter next to her unoccupied hand, a delicate threat to any male for them to stay away. Kimahri was an obvious threat on his own with his well muscled body, practiced glare, and sharp poleax that lay innocently on his back, restrained by a leather strap.

"Kimahri, is Cid anywhere near our current premises within seeing or striking view?" Yuna queried quietly, rubbing her finger against the lip of the wine glass. She reached her hand into her jacket, and touched the m9 military pistol, just for reassurance. Kimahri looked up from the large glass and took rectangular frames off his face, placing them next to his cup. He looked around the crowded bar/diner, the pupils of his eyes dilating and expanding.

"No, there is no sign of Chief Cid. But he will be here soon. But, Yuna, why do you express worry? _That _emotion is usually suppressed." Yuna took the wine glass and held it up to the light, and marveled at how the light delicately infiltrated the dark liquid.

"I know that my emotions of hate, anger, loathing, bitterness, and other spiteful emotions were completely eliminated. I also know that my emotions of annoyance, love, worry, and sadness were just merely suppressed as a cautious logic. I have no probable proof why my previously suppressed emotions are awakening." Yuna replied. Kimahri looked around once more before bowing his head in an almost embarrassed motion.

"Is it possible for an android or cyborg to fall into the feeling of love?" He muttered quietly. Yuna looked at the crisply dressed bartender, whom was wiping a glass freakishly clean and turned back to Kimahri.

"It is unenviable for an android like me to fall into love. Each emotion – even jealously, hate and anger – are needed to keep a solid relationship. Yes, it is possible for a battle android like you to fall into love because emotions such as anger and even jealousy are programmed and suppressed in your genetic coding and DNA. While the relationship may not be fully stable, it is indeed probable." Yuna responded mildly. Kimahri gave Yuna a small grin and picked his cup of sake up.

"I believe I am going to mingle with the others to see if I can glean any information." Kimahri announced. Yuna nodded and began to look around for her father. She felt him sit beside her before she laid eyes on him. He was a blonde with golden-bronze/beige hair that was short and a goatee went around his mouth and under his nostrils. It was nothing more than peach fuzz and his hair flopped lazily around his face. His eyes were a sharp, crystalline sapphire blue. His skin was a healthy island tan and well muscled. He was wearing a pair of black shorts, and a yellow jersey. He seemed to be about nineteen.

"Hello, there. Who are you?" He asked casually. Yuna quirked an eyebrow and sipped at her wine. The man blinked at her.

"Fru yni oui?" He tried again. Yuna pierced him with a gaze by wintry eyes.

"So hysi ec Yuna." She replied in a monotone voice. "E cbayg Lussuh." The man laughed.

"The name's Tidus. Why didn't you speak Common the first time?" Yuna grabbed her knife-wire and tucked it into her jacket. Tidus held up two fingers and the bartender handed him a cup of sake.

"I didn't wish to speak to you." She articulated matter-of-fact. Tidus chocked on his drink and looked at Yuna dumbly.

"Why not? I'm one of the best Racers in the world!" He howled. Yuna's left eyebrow twitched. Her hand reached for the knife-wire. She wasn't angry; God have mercy if she ever did; she was highly annoyed. Tidus must have caught her vibe of annoyance because he slowly stood up, ready to bolt…

"Yuna!" Yuna's head gently inclined as Cid waved his hand, behind him was a man. Cid and the man walked over to Yuna and Tidus. Cid looked at Tidus and gave him a nod.

"Ah, good. Yuna, I see you have already met Tidus, this is Baralai. These are the men I'm sponsoring. Tidus controls the guns and Baralai is the driver." Cid said in a quick introduction. Yuna looked at Baralai. He had spiky, queer silvery-grey hair that traveled down to his chin, bangs framed his face and a small goatee was on his chin. His eyes were a sharp onyx-grey. Baralai's skin was a deep caramel with a well muscled body. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a crème colored jacket, he wore no shirt. He seemed to be around twenty-two.

"It is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance." Yuna stated in a monotone voice. Baralai stuck his hand out and firmly gripped Yuna's hand in his own.

"Pleasure to meet you as well." Baralai replied. Yuna looked at her father with a severe gaze.

"What am I suppose to do?" She demanded. Cid looked at her before laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his neck. Yuna crossed her arms.

"Well, darlin', I want you to keep the boys safe from those fans of theirs." Cid stated. Yuna nodded and went back to her drink. Baralai and Tidus sat on either side of her, both of them drinking sake. Yuna removed her pocket watch from the satchel she placed under her corset and opened the top.

"Yo! Baralai!" Tidus called. Baralai looked up.

"What is it, gunner boy?" Baralai asked. Tidus bristled at the name of his occupation of his Racing status.

"Look, those dorky Knights of the Sacred Glyphs are coming this way." Tidus sneered as three men approached. One man had bright burnt orange hair, another had icy-blue hair and the last had sandy-blonde hair. When they were a few yards away, the trio of men bowed awkwardly to Yuna.

"We have felt you aura reach out and grab us and pull us to you!" The man with the orange hair proclaimed dramatically.

"I have no aura." Yuna replied. The orange haired man winced and laughed anxiously. The man with the blue hair moved forward.

"I'm sorry about Wakka. My name is Seymour. You are a Berserker, are you not? The blood called to my Berserker blood." Seymour queried. Yuna took a sip of her wine.

"Yes, I am a Berserker. What is it you want?" Yuna replied. Baralai and Tidus exchanged looks.

"We were wondering if you would like to join the Knights of the Sacred Glyphs. We've been wanting to recruit another Berserker." Seymour responded.

"That would be quite problematic. I live and work on an airship. There would be no probable way for me to join." Yuna objected. Seymour's face broke out in a grin.

"That's even better. There are temples all around Spira. You can visit all of them. You can an ambassador." Seymour argued a smile plastered across his pale, tattooed face.

"Fine. I shall join." Yuna responded crisply.

"Good, the first meeting is the day after tomorrow. See you then." Seymour and his allies turned on their heels and left. Yuna turned back to her drink, ignoring Baralai's incredulous gaze and Tidus' muffled laughter.

"See you ingrains later. I'm going to have fun." Tidus called and walked away, mingling with the females. Baralai turned to look at the strange albino girl. She turned her wintry gaze on him. Baralai froze.

"What is it?" She demanded.

"Why did you agree, little Neige?" Baralai asked. Yuna looked at him.

"I was supposed to join. It was already preordained." Yuna replied. Baralai shook his head and drank the rest of his sake. Yuna frowned a bit and looked to Baralai.

"Little Neige?" She stated. Baralai looked up and grinned.

"It means 'little snow'. You don't mind, do you?" Yuna shook her head. Baralai gave her a small smile. "So, little Neige, tell me about Cid and his airship."

_**Besaid Island (Valefor) Temple – Valefor's Eyes**_

The Holy Temple of Aeon and Fayth Valefor formed a rough shape of a rectangle with two half-circles on all four sides, made entirely of cobblestone and flagstone. Most of the large rectangle was a prayer room, colored a sober black-brown. In the middle of the prayer room was an encryption of a half-woman, half-phoenix. The encryption had two large parchment colored wings with splotches of light forest green and blood red, the wings were mounted on the back of a female with vibrant red hair and dark brown skin. The woman wore an indigo dress, red fringing the edges and the bottom of the skirt an icy-blue, and a single tombstone hid the females feet. A gold bell was above the woman's head and thick crimson tubes were on either side of the bell. The encryption was painted in vibrant colors. On the walls and most of the floor in close proximity of the fortification were stone and wooden benches, filled to the brim with statues of Goddess and Gods, their faces were worn away, only remnants of the nose, and shape of the lips visible on the stony faces.

On the right and left walls were two wooden double doors, one with a depiction of Valefor with a rising sun in the background and the other of a dark Valefor (2) with a crescent moon in the backdrop. Two statues of Valefor touching claws welcome priest, priestesses and shrine maidens into the rooms. Each room was split into three bedrooms, all branching off from a small prayer room with a circular table in the middle and cushions surrounding the desk. Red and gold treasure chest filled with Holy Water, Golden Needles and Sacred Water swathed the room, and banners, candle sticks stood stoic in corners.

In the back wall of the large rectangular sanctum was a staircase covered in red velvet, above the stair case was a balcony, the tip of the lanai coming down to create the face of Valefor, her wise eyes looking severely at her worshippers. The lanai sparked off the sides and figured a statue of Valefor, wings wide and welcoming on each side. Behind the large, granite double doors lead to the Labyrinth to the Fayth, where the meeting of the Knights of the Sacred Glyphs were held.

Yuna met Seymour, Gippal – the blonde Knight – and Wakka. Seymour was dressed in the vestments of white, green and orange – colors of an acolyte – with an extravagant headdress. Wakka was dress in the crimson uniform of the Crimson Blades, and a sword in a sheathe at his hip. Gippal was dressed in the standardized clothing of a worker in the Machina Fraction. Yuna was dressed in the black thigh length knee-socks, the black boots, and jacket, but had changed into a thigh length dark blue dress that went an inch above the knee socks. The skirt was the dark blue and the top a dark crème color, and the same black corset circled around her chest.

Seymour nodded to Yuna as she stopped at the base of the stairs. Seymour, Wakka and Gippal bowed slightly. Seymour moved forward, Yuna noticed a book tucked securely under his arm. Yuna shook Seymour's hand, looking at the book and nothing else. Seymour followed her gaze.

"Oh. This is the _Apocrypha of Zanark_. Our scared tome you might say." Seymour stated, holding the _Apocrypha of Zanark _out for Yuna to hold. Yuna took the Apocrypha in her hands and looked at the depiction on the front of the blood-red book. The Apocrypha was three inches thick, the pages leaf thin, made of parchment. A rectangular silver clasp held the book close; no keyhole was obvious on the clasp. The depiction was a circle, colored a granite gray. In the very centre of the loop was a dark indigo ring, and three smaller rings within the indigo, colored burnt orange, lime green and lemon yellow. Golden-brown wings spanned the indigo ring and a large indigo ring was inside the three smaller ones. Thick lines of pink spanned the indigo circle, a light pink loop followed after the indigo circle and a acid green circle finished the inside of the circle, a large symbol of Yu Yevon in the centre. People surrounded the glyph, only their backs showing, some people had dark skin, other wore dresses, and others gripped each other like lovers. Around the people were the gentle look of waves, colored burnt orange, tarnished gold and indigo (3).

Yuna touched the book like a lover. Her fingers traced the glyph, and touched the individual people's backs. The Apocrypha seemed to thrum under her touch, almost as if it had its own pulse. Yuna reached for the clasp, grasped it in her thumb and pointer finger and gently pried it open with ease. The Apocrypha's pages began to ruffle and in a beautifully deep, throbbing, masculine voice; someone spoke.

"_Tis the scared glyph thou barest. Tis named 'Apocrypha of Zanark. It sacrifices stray souls to summon unearthly forces. Unearthly forces shall obey and serve thee (4). Tis both the hand of integrity and inequality. Tis the creature of existence and bereavement. Tis the knowledge of Zanarkand, the Holy Capital. Let the bearer bring the atonement and punishment to the sinners."_ The voice fell silent as the book closed itself, the clasp closed with a small _ting_. Yuna caressed the book once more and kissed the book gently.

"Why…? How…? What was that?" Wakka stuttered, backing away from Yuna slowly. "The Apocrypha has never opened for anyone else." Yuna looked at the book and gently tucked the book under the corset.

"I am the bearer of the _Apocrypha of Zanark_. We must not speak of this every again. Now don't we have a meeting to attend?" Yuna posed quietly, coldly. Wakka ran up the stairs and pushed to heavy, granite doors open and disappeared into the stone maze. Yuna looked at the shell shocked Seymour and Gippal. Gippal's mouth was open, looking at Yuna dumbly and nodded.

"Yeah. Sure. What ever you say mistre, I mean Yuna! I'll see you later Seymour. I think I'm suffering from subliminal brain damage." Gippal raised his pointer and middle finger to his temple and walked up the stairs in a drunken fashion. Seymour looked at Yuna as she calmly gazed back at him.

"Yes?" She whispered softly to Seymour. Seymour brushed his icy-blue hair from his eyes and swallowed.

"We – we'll have to wait until the elevator gets back. Now beyond those doors and below the elevator is the Cloister of Trials. The Cloister is a maze of the sorts, I believe I should show the way…?" Seymour purred, musing at the strange Albino girl in front of him.

"No. I can find my way. She calls to me." Yuna informed him in a snappish tone and walked up the velvet covered stairs and easily pushed the granite doors that had a depiction of Valefor open. A narrow hallway decorated with glyphs met Yuna's gaze and a circular chamber was at the very end. In the very centre of the circular room was a bronze elevator with tubes going straight up to make a handrail. In the heart of the bronze elevator was a black-inked symbol of the Besaid Island Temple.

As Yuna approached the elevator, a portion of the handrails came down and Yuna stepped inside. Seymour easily cleared the railing and jumped inside as the elevator began to descend. Seymour gripped the metal bar in his hand as he took in large gulping breaths.

"Please…don't…do that…again…" Seymour begged, gasping for breath. Yuna gave him a slightly amused gaze and looked at the cobblestone walls filled with graffiti of different Temple glyphs and snippets of holy words echoed deeply within the temple, sounding both masculine and feminine. Black glyphs danced provocatively and tauntingly around the two Knights.

"OK. Now, Yuna, when we get into the Chamber of the Fayth, there are a number of steps to become a Knight. Firstly you must go to the Spirit Glass, cut your wrist and let blood flow onto the Glass. Then you will become a true Knight. OK?"

"Understood." Yuna replied as the elevator went to a screeching halt. A long hallway stretched out in front of Yuna, brackets of gold and silver wall lampposts swathed the entire hall, the gold and red flames greedily licked the soot and charcoal covered walls and glyphs were painted on the wall. Pictures of Valefor and her Fayth covered the walls and pillars stood stoic every few yards. At the very edge of the hallway were two, bland wooden doors, colored red and gold in alternating layers.

Yuna disembarked from the elevator and began to head to the wooden doors. Seymour walked cautiously behind Yuna, touching the walls lovingly. When Yuna touched the doors, they swung open on their own accord and welcomed Yuna.

Beyond the double doors was a single rectangular room made entire of pearly grey marble. Across from the stone arch, were the scars of a glyph burned into the wall. Illusions of glyphs danced across the room. A single staircase wound down to a lower level where a single protruding piece of marble held an acid green sphere. Another staircase wound around to pair of marble doors painted in blue, gold and red. Beyond the door was a long, spiraling path, different spheres leading to different rooms and right in the middle of the pathway was half an altar, with a single indent for a sphere. Beyond the illusion wall was a large square room, holding hanging bronze dense bowls holding hallowed water and floating candles in the shapes of lilies and violets. Statues of Valefor and other goddess dotted the room and large candlesticks with burning candles casted a warm glow across the floor. A circular elevator similar to the one at the very top stood stoic below the wall across from the illusion wall.

Yuna traversed her way through the Cloister of Trials, Seymour placidly walking behind her. When they arrived at the elevator, Yuna and Seymour embarked. The elevator met a smooth ride, until it began to reach the bottom where the elevator scratched at the walls. At the end of the elevator shaft was a large room, the same size of the room above. It was covered entirely of claret velvet and large basins of hallowed water scattered the room. Paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, floating candles hung from the lanterns. A small staircase led up to a small platform where a shield-shaped door made entire of gold and rubies was located. Beyond the door were leaf thin crimson dragonfly wings and beyond the dragon's wings was the chamber.

The chamber was of medium size, a gaping arroyo of three feet led down to the deepest bowls of the Farplane separated the Chamber from the silky smooth walls. In the center of the gold platform was an ocher glass dome surrounded by ruby inlayed glyphs of the Besaid Temple. Within the dome was the same encryption as the one in the Temple's entrance. Gold light pulsated from the dome and an eerie blue light echoed from the chasm. Four other people, excluding Wakka, Gippal and Seymour, surrounded the dome. Yuna looked at each one, two black mages, one white and one blue. The mages parted and let Yuna walk onto the dome.

She took the knife from her jacket pocket and placed it gently at the tip of her wrist. With slow movements, Yuna perforated a small fissure and let a small flow of droplets fall from her lacerated wrist. The dome began to pulsate. The Hymn of the Fayth echoed in beautiful voices. Yuna backtracked off the dome as the gold light began to grow more vivid than ever. The mages, Gippal, Wakka and Seymour covered their eyes as Yuna remanded stoic. A silhouette of a woman become visible as a shadow appeared.

"Who are you?" Yuna demanded, looking at the shadow with severity. The light began to diminish, the specter initiating to plausible viewing. When the entirely of the woman was finished forming, everyone – not including Yuna – bowed. The Knights began to pray and sing the songs of Valefor's beloved Fayth as the Fayth looked at each person.

"_Eris. I am Eris (5)."_ Eris was tall, almost as tall as the real form of Valefor, her body was covered with taught and well formed muscles. Her body was a dark caramel, though her upper torso and arms were dusted in a thick layer of gold dust. Her abdomen was enveloped in a dark wine red, her legs were colored a violet-blue and her face was swathed in a silver mask with all the attributes of a human face. Her eyes were almond shaped and her lips firm, and her nose was perfectly curved. Two large parchment colored wings – exact copies of Valefor's – erupted from her back and three hooks came from her shoulders in curving thorns that gently scratched at her face. From the left hooks were four golden loops were chained together. Eris had long, tumbling wine hair that ended in snowy white strands and a golden tattoo of the Besaid Temple was on the forehead of Eris' mask. A large indigo and wine red tail came from Eris' posterior. To Yuna, Eris was extremely beautiful.

Yuna stretched her hand out, offering her wrist to Eris' talons, if Eris found Yuna unpleasing. Eris took Yuna's hands into her claws and rubbed Yuna's palm with a golden talon.

"_I have been waiting for so long for my savior. The one to take my name and take my crest. Are that woman? Are you Her?"_ Eris mumbled, words only meant for Yuna to hear, gently scratching Yuna's cheek. Yuna looked at Eris with an innocent gaze.

"Yes. I am that woman, I am ready." Yuna responded. Eris smiled and from her very soul took a crest from her breast. Yuna took the crest and looked at her new relic. It was made of pure gold, and made of ruby, topaz, silver and indigo quartz inlays that formed the exact same picture of the Fayth. Yuna gently shoved the crest under her corset, beside the Apocrypha and looked back to Eris. Eris smiled gently and took Yuna's hand in her own. She gently ran her talon across Yuna's wrist and did the same to her own. Eris then placed her wrist of Yuna's and let their blood mixed. Eris breathed in deeply and healed Yuna's wrist.

"_Your name is now Eris, Yunalesca-Eris. I am now Valefor. I can finally rest in peace. Farewell, Yuna-Eris."_ Valefor stated weakly, and bowed before Yuna. In a wisp of golden light, the apparition vanished. Yuna took the crest from her corset and looked at it. Her brow furrowed; she turned the gold cartouche over. In delicate twilight blue writing wrote out the letters of _Yunalesca-Eris_. She tucked the crest back in her corset and turned around at the awed Knights. The seven Knights bowed their torsos. Yuna looked at them.

"Do _not _bow to me. Your loyalty only belongs to Valefor. Pray and worship her, not me. I shall visit the temple as soon as I can. Farwell, I believe this meeting is terminated." Yuna verified. She turned on her heel and gracefully promenaded out of the Chamber of the Fayth.

**_Besaid Island Racing Port (Baralai & Tidus' Hangar) – Heaven's Weeping Eyes_**

The racing port was located at the Southeast part of the island. The racing port was rather large, taking up more than thirty-nine square miles. The port held a small hangar for each team (one from every island, city and small republic). A large practice racing track was located southeast to the hangars and tune-up shops, accessory shops and hotels were located to the southwest of the hangars.

Baralai and Tidus' hangar was next to the chicken-wire fence, the team's name _Painful Oblivion _was emblazed in silver and black coloring. Inside the hangar was a large room, used to hold the racing car. Two staircases went on either side of the back wall and met vertically to make a small catwalk. Two rooms made the upstairs, one on the far left and the other on the far right. The one on the left was Baralai's and the one on the left was Tidus'. Baralai's room consisted of a simple military style cot, a desk, a dresser and a simple potted plant. Tidus' was much more lively, having pictures of famous female actresses, singers and spokes models. He, too, had a bed, a dresser, and a desk, but no potted plant. Each room had a small bathroom. On the lower level of the hangar was the den that had a few lounge chairs, a couch, a table and a Comm. Sphere, and the small kitchen.

Most of the hangar was used to hold the _Deus Ex Machina_. The _Deus Ex Machina _was roughly in the shape of a hang glider with a bottom, sides, a back and a front and two long wings in three different sections. It was made of stainless steel and the _Painful Oblivion _logo on each side. An automatic machina gun was on the front, and two on each side. Two cockpits were in the heart of the _Deus Ex Machina_, the one in the front was for Baralai, the driver, and the back cockpit was for Tidus, the gunner. A myriad of buttons and joysticks swamped the front cockpit and two joysticks were located in the back cockpit.

The _Painful Oblivion_'s logo was a silhouette of a woman with a cat's tail and ears, and a lion's claws, sitting on her buttocks, with one paw holding a large sword that was pointed down to the ground. Her cat's tail was wrapped around the hilt and two demonic wings came from the cat-woman's back. The uniforms for _Painful Oblivion _were varied between Baralai and Tidus. Baralai wore black pants and a black jacket with the logo sewn on the back. Tidus wore black shorts and a silver jerkin with the logo sewn on the back.

The _Painful Oblivion _was known for their ruthlessness and daring racing style of breaking rules and making a few rules of their own. And fans loved daring racer and often fell into a one-sided love and would try to snag the racers in a web of complements. Because of those dangers, Baralai and Tidus needed constant protection and that's where Yuna came in. Yuna was the wayward guardian and protected her protégés like a lioness would protect her cubs. She never showed herself until needed, and she was often found pouring over the _Apocrypha of Zanark_.

As a large race was coming closer and closer, Baralai and Tidus were often found cleaning and working on the _Deus Ex Machina _and in a rare passing; sometimes Yuna could be seen helping.

Yuna looked at the tin of sickly grey grease and handed a rag to Baralai. She stood up and looked down at Baralai.

"You have visitors, Baralai. Shall I turn them away, or permit them to enter?" Yuna queried, her hand traveling to her gun.

"Who are they?" Baralai asked. Yuna closed her eyes.

"There are three girls. One named Hikarae – a Dark Songstress, Shizuka – a Fire Songstress and Yuma – an Ice Songstress. Shall I turn them away, Baralai?" Yuna reiterated. Baralai stood up and sauntered over to the large, metal double doors and kicked them open and looked at the three Songstresses. Hikarae had black hair and red-violet eyes, in her hands was an indigo wand with the top in the shape of a microphone. She was dressed in a blue Songstress (6a) uniform. Shizuka had vibrant auburn hair and blazing bronze eyes and dressed in a yellow Songstress (6b) uniform, in her hands was a wand with a music note shaped top. Yuma had light blonde hair and icy-blue eyes and dressed in a white Songstress (6c) uniform, in her hand was a wand with a snowflake shaped top. Yuna looked at each of them in turn, her hand traveling to grab her wire wrapped knife.

"Hikarae, Shizuka, Yuma what is it you desire? This hangar is closed to non-racers. Be gone before I must use unneeded force." Yuna commanded. The three girls regarded Yuna coldly.

"How do you think you can stop us? _We _are accomplished Songstress Mages. We are fully trained and we demand to see our loves!" Hikarae mocked. Yuna looked at the three girls with a bored, non-caring gaze.

"Have you ever fought a Berserker immune to magic?" Yuna demanded quietly. The three girls shook their heads.

"No. Berserkers are gone! Extinct!" Shizuka sneered. Yuna's head jerked up.

"Fools! You shall feel the pain of Berserker!" Yuna stated. She closed her eyes. A wind whipped through the hangar. A cherry blossom tree grew from the cement floor, the petals white and pink, the tree glowing an ethereal white. Cherry blossom petals began to ride the wind, coming from a large cherry blossom tree bloomed in white and light pink. Yuna's clothes began to disappear, being replaced by a fine coat snowy-white fur. Two cat ears perked at the top of a marvelous mane of snowy-white hair. Yuna's eyes were a pure twilight blue and beautiful claws grew from Yuna's fingernails and disappeared. Three whiskers grew onto Yuna's face and her delicate nose twitched. Twilight-blue stripes streaked Yuna's cheeks. Two demonic wings came from her back, flaring and dancing. Long fangs gleamed in the sunlight as Yuna let out a roar of ferocity, calling to the ancient ancestors for strength. Cold, pupil-less eyes looked at the three Songstresses.

"Do you still wish to fight this Berserker?" She stated in a calm voice, sounding like wind caressing silk and velvet. The three Songstresses gripped their wands. Yuna blinked her eyes slowly, licking her clawless hands with a delicate pink tongue.

"Dance of the Firewall!"

"Song of the Abyss!"

"Samba of the Blizzard!" Yuna continued to lick her paws, the spells flying off her like water off of glass. She clenched her right hand tightly and a second later reopened her hand with quick reflexes. Long claws came from her fingernails and shimmered the color of her aura – white, nothingness. Yuna slashed her hand to the side and the claws disappeared in beads of sharp spirit daggers, rushing to the Songstresses. The spirit daggers met their targets, tore through their bodies. And the girls withered in agony. Yuna blinked and looked to Baralai.

"What shall I do next, Baralai? Shall I kill them or wound them as a warning?" Yuna mused. Baralai looked at Yuna surprised.

"Just…wound them." Yuna nodded and brought her right hand up to her cheek, the fingers pointing to the ground. Long claws grew from her hands. The wings on her back dithered and beat, sending Yuna gracefully up into the wind. Once above the Songstresses, Yuna dove down and drove her claws through Hikarae. The claws disappeared once they entered the Dark Songstress's body. Hikarae's eyes grew wide as blood pooled on the cement floor. Yuna loomed over Hikarae, her eyes sweeping over Shizuka and Yuma.

"If you do not want the same fate to befall you, leave right now. Hikarae will not die, she just needs a healer. Be gone, Shizuka, Yuma." Yuna instructed, her eyes regaining the black pupils and the whites. The fur vanished as her ivory pale skin came back, her ears receded and her wings grew back within her back. Shizuka and Yuma picked up their fallen ally and ran from the hangar. Yuna turned her back to the Songstresses and walked over to Baralai.

"Perpetrators are eliminated, Baralai." Yuna informed her protégé. Baralai grabbed Yuna's arm.

"Why did you ask me the Songstresses fate?" Baralai demanded softly. Yuna stared at Baralai serenely.

"Though you maybe my protégé, I still must listen to you, and obey your decisions." Yuna replied. Baralai blinked at Yuna as she breezed by him. She gave a curt nod as Tidus emerged from his bedroom and disappeared to God-knows-where. Tidus walked up to Baralai.

"What was that about?" Tidus mused. Baralai shrugged his shoulders and left in a swirl of jacket. The racer looked at his partner's retreating back and crossed his arms, bemused.

**_Painful Oblivion Hangar (1 week later) – God's Eyes_**

Yuna looked down at the package in her hands. It was square, wrapped in brown paper, the _Painful Oblivion _logo stamped on the paper in black wax. Baralai was standing in front of her, wearing the racing uniform, goggles around his neck and hands gloved.

"What is this?" Yuna muttered, slowly picking the wax off the coarse brown paper. Baralai grinned at Yuna.

"You're part of our team, Yuna. Open it." Baralai urged. Yuna tore the brown paper. "We tried to find the strongest material. We know you're going to be famous for getting into scraps." Yuna pulled out a pair of black shorts, a black military style jacket, an icy-pink tank top, and a thigh gun holster. Yuna picked up the tissue paper, pulling out a patch. She looked at the pink small sew-on patch of the _Painful Oblivion _logo.

"It is much appreciated, Baralai. Now, if you would leave so I can change?" Yuna murmured softly. Baralai turned on his heel and left. Yuna took off her dress, jacket and boots. The thigh-length knee-socks stayed on and on went the thigh-length shorts, the icy-pink tank top, the jacket and the boots. She strapped the gun holster on her thigh and placed the gun in the strong leather. She placed her knife in the right large breast pocket, and shoved the patch in the lower left pocket.

Yuna combed her hair and shook her mane of hair. She wandered over to the door and left. Baralai was leaning against the doorframe, dozing. Yuna cocked her head to one side and blinked. She walked up to Baralai and placed a cool hand on his shoulder and leaned towards him, her breath tickling his neck.

"Good luck, Baralai. I believe in you." She murmured lowly and gently shook him awake. Baralai's eyes fluttered open as he looked at Yuna, who was looking at him in her stoic way.

"The race will begin soon. Come, Baralai." Yuna urged and gently clasped Baralai's hand. Baralai's eyes widened as Yuna tugged him along, leading him to the racing track. Baralai glanced down at his and Yuna's clasped hands. He remembered that her hands were as dangerous as they were soft and warm. Yuna looked up at him and let his hand go as they neared the racing track. She gave him a curt nod and placed her hands in the two lower pockets and wandered to the sponsor seats.

"_Today we have Bevelle's Painful Oblivion versus Luca's Miasma Poison!" _The announcer blared out as Baralai and Tidus drove in _Deus Ex Machina _and Bickson and Graav – the _Miasma Poison_'s racer and gunner – brought out _Envenom_, their gold machina with chicken-like legs (7) out onto the racing track. Yuna looked at _Envenom _severely. She turned to Cid.

"There is a 98.9999999999 percent chance that the _Envenom _will crash taking a sharp turn. And there is a 50.88888888889 percent chance _Deus Ex Machina _will be taken along with _Envenom_." Yuna stated in a wintry tone. Cid looked at Yuna, stricken and reached for his cell phone. Yuna halted his hands. She shook her head.

"No. This is a test of their strength and intelligence. If they win, they are worthy. If they loose, they are deemed useless." Yuna stated firmly, coldly. Cid sighed and cradled his head in his hands. Yuna rubbed his back.

"Cid, do not worry. Baralai and Tidus are very smart. I have seen their racing styles. They are satisfactory, and are almost in good light on my part. Cid, the race is starting. See how brave and astuteness my protégés are." Yuna soothed. Cid tore his head from his hands and looked panicked as the race started. His eyes stayed glued to _Deus Ex Machina _as they rounded the first shoulder, as _Envenom _drove ahead of _Deus Ex Machina _as Tidus used the machina guns to shoot the offending machina. Yuna blinked as Baralai jerked the machina to the right and weaved around the falling debris of the Luca's racers. Yuna drew her hand up just as _Envenom _was about to ram _Deus Ex Machina_. Every one held their breath as Baralai jerked _Deus Ex Machina _behind as Tidus began to shoot at the offending machina.

"Cid. They have won. Come, we are to go to the Winner's Circle." Yuna inculcated, standing up, gently dragging Cid with her. Cid looked at his winners and grinned widely and patted Yuna on the back. They walked down the cement stair, down across a dirt path, and into the winner's circle. Baralai and Tidus were both holding up a large, bronze award. Yuna walked up to Baralai and gently placed her pointer and middle finger on his coat cuffs.

"You are deemed valuable in my eyes. Do not let me nor Cid down." Yuna told him in a low tone, made for his ears only. She turned on her heel and made her way to leave. Baralai caught her sleeve cuff. Yuna turned and looked at Baralai. With a grin he kissed her forehead. Yuna gave him a hard gaze and turned away.

"I do not take well to failure, Baralai." She warned before she disappeared into the crowd. Baralai sighed and pushed his way over to Cid and Tidus – who were in a heated argument.

"Listen, Gramps, that is _totally _unfair! Why do we have to work on your airship!" Tidus howled. Cid scowled at Tidus.

"It's Cid, boy! C-I-D! Cid! Got that! C-I-D! Not 'Gramps'!" Cid shouted. Tidus gave Cid a dirty look.

"Fine…Gramps." He snorted. Cid 'hmphed' and crossed his arms. Baralai walked over Cid and Tidus and clapped Cid good-naturedly on the shoulder. Cid broke his glaring contest with Tidus and peered at Baralai. He grinned at Baralai and clapped him on the shoulders.

"Cid." A cool voice said. Cid turned to look at Yuna. "I am heading to the airship. Shall I take Baralai and Tidus with me?" Cid nodded and pushed Baralai to Yuna. Yuna gripped Baralai's cuffs and leaned over and grabbed Tidus by the wrist. She tugged and began to walk out of the racing track, blandly ignoring the fans of Baralai and Tidus.

_**The Shera – God's Eyes**_

"This is your room." Yuna's cold voice informed the two racers. Baralai looked at his new room. The room was painted midnight black with a silver border of leaves and Celtic knots. Two beds were on either side, built into the wall and colored black with silver fleece blankets and pillows covering the soft downy mattress. Drawers were built into the beds. A desk with a book case on either side was crammed in a corner. Yuna looked at the room with unwavering eyes.

"Cid made the room especially for you. Your luggage will be here soon." Yuna swiveled on his heel and went to leave through the sliding door. "If you need me, my room is right next to yours." Baralai grabbed Yuna's black jacket's cuffs.

"Where are you going?" Baralai questioned, curious. Yuna pulled the Apocrypha and the Crest out of her pocket. She looked at the items in her ivory pale palms, a strange quality of innocent curiosity about her.

"I am going to my room. I am currently trying to uncover the secrecy of the book. If you truly desire so, you may join me." Yuna replied, touching the sliding door. Baralai looked at Tidus and followed Yuna. Outside Yuna looked at Baralai and led to him to her room. She touched her door and entered her room.

"Yunie! I've missed you!" A cheerful voice chirped. Yuna looked down and picked up a bunny from the floor. Yuna kissed the bunny's head and smiled at it. Baralai looked at the creature and Yuna. So his little Neige had a weak spot? A chink in her iron-clad amour? Yuna caught his air of surprise. She froze him with an icy gaze.

"Cid gave her to me. I have every right to love her. Bambi, it is wonderful to see you once again." Yuna replied in a balmy tone. She set Bambi down on her bed and looked at Baralai. "You said you would help. Sit down." Baralai quickly crossed the room and assembled on the soft, downy bed. She pulled the Apocrypha and the crest from her pocket. She took Baralai's hand and placed it over the book.

"This is the _Apocrypha of Zanark_. It is a sacred book of the once forgotten city of Zanarkand." Yuna placed his other hand on the crest. "This is the Crest of Valefor. The Fayth of Valefor – once named Eris – gave it to me as a gift of taking her curse away. The curse of being apart from her significant other – Valefor. I was given her name as well." Baralai felt the book thrum under Yuna's touch. With loving hands, Yuna opened the Apocrypha and flipped through the leaf-thin pages.

"This is the page that unlocks all the secrets of Besaid." Yuna explained, pointed to a drawing of Valefor. She placed the crest on the drawing, roving the crest about. Baralai watched in amazement as the book grew several inches thicker. Yuna looked at Baralai and placed the crest on the bed.

"Drec ec hyikrd pid dra kmunq uv Besaid. Oy ymm py fynhat dra pintah crymm pa knayd. 'This is naught but the glory of Besaid. Ye all be warned the burden shall be great'." Yuna translated, running her fingers down the long line of Al Bhed.

"But why is it in Al Bhed?" Baralai questioned.

"Most of it is in Al Bhed because that was the universal language before Bevelle took hold." Bambi chirped. Yuna was busy reading the Apocrypha, her hands flitting over the paper as she turned page after page, absorbing information. Her twilight eyes flickered back and forth. Her body began to glow a fluorescent blue. Baralai laid a tentative hand on Yuna's shoulder.

"Yuna. Yuna! Yuna! Yuna, come out of it!" Baralai shook Yuna's shoulders. Yuna's head jerked up, the back colliding with Baralai's forehead. With a groan Baralai fell onto Yuna's bed, gripping his head in his hands. Yuna looked at Baralai as Bambi laughed in spiteful mirth.

"Baralai do not fear that glow. That glow is my magic…my _aura_ now." Yuna explained as she snapped the book shut. Baralai kneaded his forehead.

"Damn! Little Neige! Bloody hell…ow….damn that hurts…" Baralai moaned. Yuna grabbed Baralai's forearm and yanked him upwards. She placed a cool hand on his forehead and dragged him to the door.

"Where are you taking me?" Baralai demanded, still wincing from his and Yuna's head-on-head collision. Yuna spared him a withering gaze.

"Wilhelm is a White Mage. He can cease your head pain." Yuna explained as she dragged him down the hall, stopping outside a door. She knocked three times, then once, then twice. She opened the door and pushed Baralai inside. The room was quite the same as Yuna and Baralai's though the theme was a calming peach and crème. A boy with white hair that looked strikingly like Yuna's and red-amber eyes was sitting on the peach colored blanket, a large book called _Pride & Prejudice_ in his lap and a mug of coffee in his left hand.

"Wilhelm?" Yuna called, Wilhelm looked up and grinned at her. "Wilhelm this is Baralai. Baralai this is Wilhelm…my half-brother. Wilhelm, I have a patient for you." Baralai gaped at Yuna.

"Brother?" Yuna nodded as Wilhelm stood up and placed a pointer finger in the centre of Baralai's forehead. Wilhelm closed his eyes.

"Yes." He began; Wilhelm's voice was mellow and deep. "Yunalesca and I share the same father – Cid. We have different mothers. Yunalesca and I are illegitimate children of Cid. Kimahri, Brother and Sister are all of Cid's nieces and nephews."

"While Wilhelm and I are brother and sister, we believe Kimahri, Brother and Sister are our own siblings. But we know Wilhelm and I are Cid's favorites." Yuna replied, her musical, honest and wintry voice holding a rare moment of amusement.

"Yunalesca, he is suffering from a minor concussion. Did you happen to have a head-on-head collision?" Wilhelm questioned, amused. Yuna spared Wilhelm a warning glance.

"Wilhelm…" She warned. "Can you heal him?" Wilhelm smiled at his 'sister' and placed his palms on Baralai's temples. His hands glowed an amber-red as he murmured a long line of Latin words of Cure. Yuna looked up abruptly as Baralai fainted into Wilhelm's arms. Yuna walked forward and helped carry Baralai to Wilhelm's bed. Yuna placed her ivory pale hand on Baralai's dark caramel skin.

"Wilhelm…I do not want you to peer into my mind. I suffer displeasure when you do that. Send me a message of some kind before you enter. It is courtesy. And you did not have to knock Baralai out. He was not suspicious." Yuna chided. Wilhelm sighed.

"Yunalesca…we must keep our linage under serious protection. I will from now on, send a message. Now tell me, am I to come with you to the next Knight meeting?" Yuna nodded her head and let Wilhelm lay his head in her lap.

"What is your name now, Yunalesca?" Wilhelm murmured. Yuna wrapped her hands in Wilhelm's hair.

"Yunalesca-Eris." Yuna replied. Wilhelm sighed and buried his head deeper in Yuna's lap. Yuna preened his hair slowly, thinking. It was many hours later when Cid came upon Yuna laying on the bed discombobulated, her head laying in her arms, and Wilhelm resting his head on her stomach, his fingers curled in her black jacket. Cid looked at his 'children' and thought of only one thing:

"Damn. I really hope this isn't what it looks like."

* * *

_Fin. first chapter. _

_Good bad or other wise? Ah, to help me with my story are my muses: Kaze and Riki. Riki is my muse of everything bad (drama, angst, horror, blah, blah, blah) and Kaze is my muse of all the good things (romance, humor, blah, blah, blah). So expect a lot of mystery, drama and dashes of romance. If you have any ideas, send them to me._

(1) Besaid is now the size of both Kilika _and _Besaid put together (holy crap, huh?)

(2) In Final Fantasy X-2, you have to fight all your old aeons, so in Bevelle….yeah _that _Valefor

(3) The mural in Final Fantasy X just before you fight Seymour (I think) or right before you enter Zanarkand, or if you have the strategy guide (like I do) just look through it, the mural is pretty much a bunch of people with their back to you

(4) I got the first part (_Tis the scared glyph thou barest _to _Unearthly forces shall obey and serve thee_) from the game _Chaos Legion_, except for the name, I do own that XD.

(5) Eris is one of the Greek goddess, more specifically the goddess of strife (rivalry), I though this would fit, because Valefor seems to be the weakest aeon, so you can imaged in the plane where the aeons are waiting to be called, there's rivalry between them, especially Valefor.

_**And special thanks to:**_

_**Miko no Kaze: Yeah, I actually **did **really think of Yuna actions, it took me a while (because I though of this idea in Driver's Ed and I had lots of time to burn) because I didn't want Yuna to be the same nice and genial Yuna we know, I really wanted her to be more cynical and colder. It took me a while to think of her reactions to other people, and not directly her family, I though since Cid was her creator/father, she should be kind and warm, and with the mail lady (someone she didn't know well) to be cold and to the point. I made her speech as correctly as possible because it just **added **to her direct personality. I'm glad this got you hooked from the start and I'm even more pleased how you're eager to see how this will turn out and I'm glad you like the concept. And by the way, does your user name happen to mean **Priestess of Wind_

_**ThePirateJilt: Hmm…I tend to do weird things, but I'm glad you like the story **and **that it intrigued you. Well **renegade racer**….the word **renegade **itself means **rebel**. And racer…so it is pretty much a racer that doesn't follow the rules to well and likes the taste of danger. **_

_**Feed Me - - - - - Review**_


	3. Chapter Two: Geschenk von Sire

"_**Shion…will feeling pain make me complete?" KOS-MOS, Xenosaga Episode I**_

**_Chapter Two: Zanark's Looking-Glass / Cruel Tenshi_**

_**Food Market, Besaid Isle – God's Eyes**_

The Besaid food market was on the old property of the once small village of Besaid, before the giant earthquake that unearthed large amounts of land. The bazaar covered more than fifteen square miles of the old village with a small wicker fence encircling the large bazaar. The bazaar was like the old fashioned bazaars with the well-built wooden stands, the colorful tarps, and banners and the large, bold signs that expressed to the world what they were selling. In the middle of the bazaar was a giant fountain in the shape of Valefor, blood-red water spewing from its mouth and wing tips. Benches spaced the fountain and small food courts stood stoic in the street corners selling fish-and-chips, pizza, hot-dogs, corndogs, and hamburgers. The bazaar was loud, hustling, and reeked of take-out food. Then why were well-bred, arrogant Yuna and austere, rudimentary Cid in the bazaar?

Simple. The _Shera_ had run out of all edible food, in Yuna's critical, pessimistic point of view. The crew was reduced to eating two week old pastries and drinking warm, fruity carbonated water. They had come alone, leaving the still sleeping Wilhelm behind to divulge his person in the later hours of the afternoon. Baralai and Tidus had offered to come, but being the winners of the Besaid Isle Minor Racing Legion had pushed their popularity sky-high. So Baralai was reduced to reading old racing magazines in his room. And Tidus would have been found cuffed to his bed, a large lump growing behind his ear – all courtesy to Yuna. So Yuna and Cid walked off the _Shera_ and began the long shopping process of buying fruits – to Tidus' utmost horror – vegetables, water and other healthy food.

Yuna was looking at a wicker basket of strawberries, her mechanical eyes showing various readings about the sweet, red fruit. Cid was across the way, looking at carrots, radishes, and zucchini. Yuna placed the strawberries in a larger basket and scrutinized a crate of ripe blackberries. She added that to the basket and glanced down over her shoulder where a black, leather backpack lay innocently. Bambi, the Apocrypha, Valefor's crest and other do-dads lay inside the leather, ready to be used. She handed the purveyor a handful of Gil and moved to the next stand that sold cinnamon, nutmeg, basil and cloves.

"Now you look at that an' tell me that isn't a bruise!" Cid argued to a harassed-looking vendor. Yuna looked over her shoulder and left the spices stands behind, sauntering over to Cid. She placed a cool hand on his shoulder and looked at the purveyor.

"Sir, please forgive my father. I give my humblest apology. Cid, go to the spice purveyor. I want you to get one-and-a-half pounds of everything on this list." Yuna took a perfectly folded list with Yuna's perfectly and angular writing, handing it to Cid. Cid skimmed the list and nodded.

"Sure, darlin'. Be careful with this one. He smarter than those other ones." Cid warned before he trotted over to the spice stand. Yuna looked at the plastic basket Cid had left behind, filled with carrots, zucchini, turnips, radishes, lettuce tomatoes, potatoes and peppers. Beside the basket were heads of broccoli and cauliflower. Yuna picked the heads up and glanced at them. She picked two heads of each vegetable and placed them in the basket. She pulled out a handful of Gil and placed them on the counter.

"That is a satisfactory amount, I believe. Thank you for your cooperation." Yuna stated before adding the vegetables to the fruits. Cid was just finishing buying the last spice on the list – garlic – when Yuna walked up to him. The woman vendor was finishing dicing the garlic and placing it in a circular glass. Cid was blandly looking around, his arms crossed.

"Cid, we still need beverages. I will be right back." Cid nodded distractedly, watching as two woman fought over the last watermelon. Yuna walked away from Cid and walked down a little further. The stand she found sold coffee beans, bottled water, juice, milk and spirits. She looked at the bookcase that held the packet and bottles. She looked to the vendor and pulled out the bag of Gil.

"I would like five pouches of black coffee, two of mocha and one of decaf, please. As well as six packets of bottled water and six variety pack of fruit drinks, please." Yuna instructed, looking at the price list of the coffee, water and juice. The woman nodded and grabbed a burlap bag, gently packing the water and fruit followed by the coffee.

"Two thousand Gil, please." The woman intoned in a bored tone. Yuna took the coins out and placed them on the stand, taking the burlap sack in her left hand. The woman thanked her and placed the coins in the till. Yuna turned on her heel and promenaded through the throngs of people, heading to her father. The woman vendor of the spice stand just finished topping the garlic bottle when Yuna arrived. Cid looked at Yuna and grinned. The woman purveyor placed the potbellied bottle in a small stand and handed it to Cid. Cid pulled out his money bag and looked up at the woman.

"Five hundred Gil, please." The woman said in a dreamy, breathy voice, holding out a blue tattooed hand. Cid dropped five gold coins in the vendor's hands. The woman closed her palm over the Gil and opened the wooden box that was used for a till and dropped the currency inside. Cid handed Yuna the spices, which she tucked in the basket and placed his money bag in his deep pockets.

"Hungry, darlin'?" Cid questioned as the father and daughter made their way to the food court. Yuna nodded and looked at the different food stands. "What do ya want to eat then, Yunie?" Yuna's eyes rested on the fish-and-chips stand with the potbellied stove where the scent of fish lingered. Cid followed Yuna's gaze and peered at the stand, at the woman who was spicing the fish.

"Fish-and-chips, please." Yuna replied, sitting down at a small table with an umbrella above it, blocking the bright sunbursts from the pale faces of the inhabitants of Besaid and its tourists. Cid nodded and walked off to the food stand. Yuna plopped her black backpack on the table and pulled Bambi from the hot leather. Bambi hopped about, waving her chubby arms about, smiling at the sun, her floppy ears flapping in her eyes.

"That e-mail Seymour gave me, please let me read it once again." Yuna instructed. Bambi nodded and patted her round belly twice. A small screen the size of Yuna's two palms put together appearing in Bambi's short arms after the mechanical bunny patted her belly. Bambi handed the VDT to Yuna. Yuna read each line carefully about the store called the _Amethyst Lily_ where Seymour said he found an object she might be interested in. Yuna tapped her peach painted fingernail on the screen, where it scrolled down to the last part of the e-mail. Yuna placed her thumb and pointer finger on the sides of her mouth, her brow furrowed. She handed the computer screen back to Bambi, who strangely ate the entire thing whole and looked at the on coming Cid with a wooden tray in his hands, two Styrofoam bowls filled to the top with fish-and-chips.

"Here ya go, darlin'." Cid said, handing Yuna on of the plastic bowls and a cup of mocha coffee. Yuna thanked him and gently picked up the food, stuck the tip of her tongue out and laid the fish on it, and gently brought it into her mouth, where she chewed it slowly, in slight awe of the taste. Yuna nodded at the taste and continued to eat, every once and a while taking a sip of coffee.

"Cid," Yuna began, Cid looked at his surrogate daughter, "after we drop the food off on the _Shera_, there is a shop I want to check out, with Wilhelm. May I go?" Cid nodded. Bambi snatched a piece from the bowl and began to munch on it, hopping around. Cid watched the bunny go round and round. He blinked his eyes and looked up at Yuna.

"Did you do this to her?" Yuna looked up and Cid then down at Bambi, who was purloining another snatchet of food. Yuna smiled at the bunny and gently scratched the bunny with her peach colored fingernails.

"Yes. I changed her main database by a small margin. She was like me, arrogant and cynical, so I changed her into an opposite of me." Yuna explained, handing the said bunny-rabbit a piece of fish. Cid smiled and continued to eat. Yuna looked down at her food for a moment and looked up. She licked her lips, a strange air of uneasiness and shame about her.

"Cid, the shop I am going to is…a witch's shop. Seymour told me about the shop in an e-mail he sent me two day previous. I need to go into the slums. May Wilhelm come with me? His magic may become handy if we are attacked." Yuna confessed, stirring a plastic stirrer in her coffee. Cid peered at Yuna and sighed. Bambi stole another piece of food, staring at Cid then Yuna.

"Yuna, I trust that you can take care of yourself. And, yes, Wilhelm can come with you. God only knows what you two can manage when you're teamed up." Cid stated. Yuna bowed her head and gave Cid a sweet smile. They finished their food, tossed it into the nearby recycle bin and left the food court, bags in hand. They traversed back through the market and walked to the port where the _Shera _was harbored.

_**The Shera – Heaven's Peering Eyes**_

Yuna placed the last mocha coffee mix in the cabinet and closed the cabinet door. Bambi was hauling the decaf packet to the other cabinet as Yuna began to place the fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator. Baralai was stacking the spices to the left of her, grumbling that he could have been working on the _Deus Ex Machina_. Tidus was still knocked out, snoring solidly.

Wilhelm was cooking the crew and passengers dinner, as it took an hour to traverse through the hustle and bustle of the bazaar and a half-hour to get on to the _Shera_, as the Besaid Isle Harbor Police Force kept on asking for registration, ID, and other useless information. After that, Yuna and Bambi had to unload and persuade Baralai to help her.

"Yunalesca," Wilhelm said softly, "Please hand me the Malboro wine, and tentacles. As well as the Coeurl tips and back meat." Yuna placed the last basket of blueberries in the fridge and grabbed a green glass wine bottle filled with a burgundy liquid, a plastic container filled to the top with purple, green, wine red and orange tentacles, and two other containers filled with white, periwinkle and lavender meat. Yuna walked over to Wilhelm and placed the said items on the counter beside the pewter stove and peered down at the sizzling pans of meat and vegetables.

"Shall I do anything?" Yuna asked quietly, opening the Malboro tentacles and tossing half onto a large skillet. Wilhelm picked a wooden spoon and handed it to Yuna. Yuna stirred the Malboro meat as it began to sizzle and cackle. Yuna looked over at Baralai who was stacking the herbs with unneeded vigor. Yuna gently placed the spoon down and wiped her hands on a cotton towel.

"Baralai, please go and check Tidus. If Tidus has awoken, please continue and work on the _Dues Ex Machina_. I can take care of the rest of the herbs." Yuna commanded, taking Baralai's shirt cuff and gently pulling him to the door. Baralai gave Yuna a salute and trotted out the door. Yuna walked over to the herb rack, placing the herbs in their own individual pockets. Wilhelm looked over at his sister.

"Yunalesca, please come and check the Malboro tentacles. I think they are ready to be turned." Yuna finished stocking the last glass bottle. She walked back over to the pewter oven, stirring the Malboro meat. Yuna looked down at her peach colored fingernails as she stirred the meat. Wilhelm was whistling a cheerful tune under his breath, adding herbs to the Coeurl meat.

"Wilhelm, I was wondering if you would like to come with me to the _Amethyst Lily_. Cid said you may come with me if you so desire." Wilhelm looked up, his pale hand stopping as he peered at his sister. He licked his lips and smiled mischievously at his sister. He continued to stir the meat, nodding.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I would love to." Wilhelm sang. "But wait until after dinner. We'll have enough time. Now help me get these plates down." Yuna moved to the right of the stove and opened a small chest, pulling out the approximate number of Shiva and Anima emblazed plates. Wilhelm, beside her, picked out cups and cutlery. Yuna went back to cooking the Malboro meat, adding some of the Malboro Wine.

"Yunalesca, please dish out the food while I get the drinks." Yuna began to place food on the plates as Wilhelm poured wine in all the cups. Yuna began to place the plates on her arm like a waitress as Wilhelm placed the cups on a small platter. Together the siblings exited the kitchen and walked the short distance to the small dining room. The members of the crew and the two racers were sitting, talking. Yuna placed a plate in front of each person as Wilhelm passed out the wine. Baralai looked at the cooked fiend meat and poked it with his fork, a look of disgust on his face.

"What is this exactly? Is this edible?" Baralai demanded. Yuna speared a Malboro tentacle and looked at it for a moment. The others stopped eating, waiting for Yuna's usual curt and terse response. Wilhelm took a sip of his wine, peering at his albino sister.

"Yes, it is indeed edible. It is a source for a large amount of calcium and potassium." Yuna explained, eating the fiend meat, looking blandly at her plate of food. Baralai looked at the food forlornly. "I suggest if you want to keep eating for the rest of your duration on this ship, eat that." Baralai winced and ate his food, a look of pain on his face. Yuna sniffed delicately and ignored the man in question.

_**Besaid Island, Slums (Northeast) – Sky's Looking Glass**_

The Besaid Island Slums was located where the old village was once established. The village was to be the market district, but the earthquake had put ruin to the village and the bamboo pipes that held up the delicate structures of buildings. The damaged was too great for the Besaid Island Federation Alliance to fix with their poor income. So they left the ruins behind and began to cultivate the newer part of the island as the city, placing thousands of people in poverty. Some moved to the old Besaid Island slums to live.

The _Amethyst Lily _was located where the old Crusaders tent was, on the boundaries of the slums where tall piles of debris kept the slums from the temple. The _Lily _owned by a woman named Kagura. Kagura was thirty-five with vivid red hair and violet eyes. Kagura had one son, named Reno, who was nineteen. She had Reno when she was sixteen, a love child. Reno, himself, had red hair, like his mothers, that went half-way down his back. The hair on that touched his scalp was spiky, and the hair past his neck was held back with an elastic band.

Reno had very few friends, them being Rude, Cloud, Riku and Sora. He and his cohorts had their own little racing team, whom they called the _Seraphims_. They worked in the _Lily_ for a small weekly check of three thousand Gil every two weeks. Reno also worked as a personal bodyguard for Mr. Shinra. Mr. Shinra was the leader for the Bevelle Laboratory Materia/Mako Facility and owned the small researched center in Besaid.

"Reno! Put that stuffed toad down right now!" Kagura bellowed. Reno winced and put the purple and red poka-dotted amphibian down on the velvet cushion. Kagura rubbed her temples with her pointer and middle finger and sighed. She looked down at the VDT below her. _I have a friend who might find some of your merchandise quite pleasing and interesting. _Seymour had sent her that e-mail yesterday.

"Anything wrong, Kagura?" Cloud asked in his soft way. Kagura smiled at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy and smiled. She shook her head and motioned to the VDT below her.

"No. I'm supposed to be getting a customer soon who wants to look at the mirror." She explained. Reno and the other men perked up in surprised. All came jogging to the desk in surprise.

"Some one wants to buy that old mirror?" Sora mused, running his fingers through his brunette hair. Kagura nodded as the others looked to the door. "Wow." Sora continued, "That mirror supposedly holds some sort of old magic."

"Yeah. But no one knows how to activate it." Riku replied, crossing his arms over his chest. Rude nodded.

"True. The only things that could activate it, where the old archetypes N.E.P.H.I.L.I.M.s from when the World that Never Was; when it was still ruling. None of the originals survived." Rude added, Reno sat up on the counter and looked down at Rude. Cloud walked behind the desk and took an ebony box with a gold lock. He placed it on the counter and thrummed his fingers on the sachet.

"N.E.P.H.I.L.I.M.s?" Reno asked. Rude shrugged his shoulders, as if saying: _don't look at me. I only know the names_. Reno sighed and kneaded his forehead. Cloud fiddled with the lock before he spoke up.

"Nano-Electronic Pre-Humanoid Illusionary Legion Influential Machina-Fighting-Force." He stated. "They were a special type of android with the features of angels that could use the powers of the aeon's special attacks and overdrives. The World that Never Was used them along with Summoners to defend themselves against the threat of Bevelle one thousand years ago before The World that Never Was disappeared."

"What?" Cloud demanded, looking at the incredulous looks on his friend's faces. "Kagura, can I see that e-mail?" Kagura took the purple VDT screen and handed them to Cloud's callused hands. _I believe that the newest member of the Knights – Yuna – is an archetype. She seems to carry the same looks and personalities as the N.E.P.H.I.L.I.M.s. I'm too sure about her being an archetype, but let her look at the mirror. _

"Seymour thinks she might be an archetype?" Cloud solicited, handing the e-mail back to Kagura. Kagura nodded her head and stashed the VDT in the drawer below the till. Sora looked at Cloud.

"An archetype?" Sora asked, "But I thought you said they were gone. And our old history books say that all the archetypes were destroyed along with the sister cell chip and the Y chromosome program." Riku and Rude nodded.

"But hasn't there been gossip about N.E.P.H.I.L.I.M.s alive and kicking? I mean what about that rumor about one of Bevelle's top-secret invention? Rumor has it that the invention is one of those old androids." Reno objected, tapping his one hand on the counter and the other laying behind him. "A group of agents and traitor Knights have been seen sniffing around the temples." _Tink, tink, tink_. Heads shot up as the saw two people entered the shop. One was a female dressed in a racing standardized uniform. She had white hair and twilight blue eyes. The other was a male wearing the vestments of an airship worker. He had the same white hair of the racer and deep red eyes.

"Yunalesca, are you sure that blueprint is you?" The male solicited, stopping to peer at a crystal mounted on the forehead of a Coeurl skull. The female – Yunalesca – nodded briefly and continued to the back, which held old Zanarkandian artifacts Kagura dug up. The male looked at Yunalesca and sighed and walked after her. Reno and Sora looked at each other, asking the same question: _are they twins or N.E.P.H.I.L.I.M.s?_ Rude narrowed his eyes as the two androids came back up front, the girl, nonchalant and the boy a bit frazzled.

"Why are we, or more directly _I_, here?" He demanded. Yuna looked at him over her shoulders. She sighed and stopped, causing her bother to narrow his eyes almost suspiciously. Was this normal behavior for the girl? The boy didn't think so, apparently. He took two steps back as the girl neared him. What happened next put Reno into a shock, made Sora and Riku gasp, made Rude cock an eyebrow gently and send the boy into a half-coma. She hugged him. The boy's eyes had widened.

"You promised me, Wilhelm." She replied warmly, linking her arm through his and leading him up to the counter. Wilhelm looked down at Yuna and smiled down at her. As they neared the counter Cloud looked down at his hand resting on the ebony case. Cloud pushed the case towards Reno, whom was sitting on the edge of the counter. Reno picked up the box and set it on his lap, taping the case.

"You are…Yunalesca, am I correct? And you want to buy the mirror?" Kagura guessed softly, waving towards the box. Yuna, whose eyes were only on the box, nodded and reached for her money bag. But, from her bag came a bunny. She placed the bunny on the counter. The bunny hopped over to the box and tapped it twice. The bunny chirped.

"Yunie, this is the real thing! I _told _you I'd be useful!" The bunny chided, "But _no_, you just had to lock me in your room! Do you know how cold it is in there? Not even Ru…" Yuna crashed her hand down on the counter as a warning. Rude looked at the girl then to the bunny. Ru…? Rufus. Rufus Shinra. Rude pushed the box to Yuna, whom took it and placed a handful of coins in his hands.

"I know that, Bambi. I am not a fool, nor am I stupid. He is dead." Yuna replied coldly, arrogantly. Bambi whimpered out an apology. Yuna tucked the ebony box in her pack and picked Bambi up in her arms. Rude cleared his throat before speaking. Yuna snapped her eyes to him, almost with an air of curiosity. Her eyes seemed to loose that frostiness, almost a curious, if not stone-cold glance.

"Are you talking about Mr. Rufus Shinra?" Rude asked softly. Yuna placed Bambi inside her pack. "Mr. Shinra is quite alive, Yuna." The confused look was replaced by a surprised, shocked look. "Reno and I are his bodyguards." He further explained as Yuna composed herself. She tapped her chin in thought and pierced him with a sharp gaze.

"Is Vincent Valentine alive, as well?" Rude nodded. "Can you take me to them? Rufus has something of mine I truly wish to possess." Yuna continued in a bored, almost nonchalant tone. Rude made a sound at the back of his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. How exactly did Mr. Shinra and Yuna know each other? She pulled a pistol out of her bag and tossed it to the counter. **_Evangelina 0000000001_** was encrypted on the side in the color of Yuna's eyes. Below that was: **_N.E.P.H.I.L.I.M. Yunalesca 0000000001_**. She was nothing experiment, and archetype, the first of her breed, Rude realized as he tenderly picked up the gun. But he couldn't take her to him.

"Rufus needs to pay an old debt. He has one gun and weapons in his possessions that are mine. Tell him he owes an old friend a debt. Tell him to come to the _Shera_ with Yunalesca's things in his arms." Yuna instructed severely. "Take that to him and he will understand." She linked her arm through Wilhelm's and promenaded out of the store. Rude let a frown cover his face as he watched Yuna and Wilhelm leave. Vincent and Rufus must have had a momentary alliance with this girl, this android.

_**Besaid Isle Research Center, Besaid – Valefor's Eyes**_

The Besaid Isle Research Center was located three miles away from the agora, taking up more than twelve square miles with a barbed wire fence, smaller buildings, and the larger building itself. It had nearly twenty floors, the first five being nothing more than laboratories. The next six were experiment rooms and hospital rooms, holding experiments and specimens. The next five were related solely used for the experiments themselves. The other three were used for the scientist's bedrooms, expansive libraries and bathrooms. The topmost were Rufus Shinra's own rooms.

"How do you know Yuna?" Reno asked Rufus bluntly, arms cross and nightclub lying against his thigh. Rude made a short nod, as if he wanted to know, too. Rufus Shinra, who was sitting in a spinning computer chair, sighed and spun around to face his two bodyguards. He crossed his legs and arms and archly raised an eyebrow. So, Yuna was alive. Rufus rested his arms on his knees and gave the two men brooding looks.

"Shall I start at the beginning?" Rufus turned around to face his computer and keyed in a security code, opening a screen picture of Yuna. "We came from the World the Never Was. Yunalesca, Wilhelm, Vincent, Cid and myself. Vincent, Cid and I were scientists for the World that Never Was. We were trying to find a way to create the ultimate fighting legion to stop the war, permanently. Even if it meant eradicating ourselves and the entire city. We succeeded in creating three N.E.P.H.I.L.I.M.s, Yunalesca 0000000001, Wilhelm 0000000001, and Lenne 0000000001. But Yunalesca was our greatest accomplishment, she herself could harness the powers of the aeons, she alone could stop the war. Wilhelm out second greatest, he had the power to manipulate all magic sources into one concentrated attack. And Lenne, out last creation, could seduce by her voice." Rufus showed Reno and Rude all of the three scientist's work before continuing his story.

"Yunalesca was given three weapons to use, she was our long-ranged attacker. Wilhelm was our short-ranged attacker and Lenne could be both short and long ranged. Together those three could stop the war. The war turned for the worst. Casualties were left and right, never stopping. Lenne was destroyed by Bevelle's soldiers. Yunalesca, our darling Yunalesca, put herself into stasis and completely locked us out of her system. We now had no control over our greatest weapon, she was her own person. We all cried that day our darling shut herself down, refusing to be awoken. Wilhelm, soul brother to Yunalesca, pined without his sister. So we did the most humane thing, we put him in stasis along side his sister. He loved her dearly, Wilhelm did." Rufus continued, unbuttoning his shirt and taking the article of clothing off.

"You are probably wondering how I survived. How _we_ survived. It was a single program Vincent created, stemmed off of two programs. The Sister Cell program and the Y-Chromosome Chip is what created the Life Chip, a chip that could prolong life by thousands, even millions of years. Only three were ever created before the war took the turn for the worst. After all of our 'children' were shut down, we placed each chip in ourselves at the backside of our necks. We placed both programs in Yunalesca, after we had no need of it anymore. The war was lost and the World that Never Was, our beloved Zanarkand, was gone. Like Atlantis in old myths, Zanarkand sunk, disappeared. We separated after that, Cid took the remains of Lenne, along with Wilhelm and Yunalesca, as he, himself was the creator. We didn't keep in touch. Nearly a thousand years passed before I saw the strangest thing." Rufus buttoned up his shirt, after showing his guards the spider shaped tattoo on the back of his neck. He motioned towards the screen emotionlessly.

"Yunalesca was booted up and alive. Cid had somehow awoken her. And by that time he enrolled her in a prestigious boarding school. When the three of us had a meeting, Cid told us our darling Yunalesca awoken by herself. But something disturbed Cid, as Yunalesca's first words were: _relinquish your pain unto me_. He didn't understand why she said that. And he didn't know why she woken up. But he did reckon that when he imported a part of the destroyed Lenne, the Ether Circuit, it might have given her artificial heart the needed jolt. Our darling was awake. We thought her as a harbinger, the foreboding of a new war. We thought that Zanarkand was back. We were wrong." Rufus clicked on a button and typed in _Zanarkand _in a search box. Nothing came up.

"Zanarkand never existed to the modern day history. The Bevellian government had lied to the public, saying that Zanarkand was a warring tribe of Ronsos. They said that Zanarkand was nothing more than a small village of Ronso-Human half-breed. The public believed them and Zanarkand ceased to exist. Yunalesca's weapons are in those black boxes. Take them to her. And before you ask _why _I don't want to see Yunalesca, was because I loved her. This is also hers. She will know what to do with this. Do _not_, under any circumstances, bring my darling here. Go." Rufus waved his hand at two black boxes and one chest. Rufus looked back at an intercom and pressed a red button.

"Vincent, please come here." Rufus demanded, running his hands through his blond-silver hair. He turned back to Reno and Rude. "Vincent is my last ally, you are to accompany Vincent aboard the _Shera_ and keep a close eye on Yunalesca, but mostly her brother. Ah, Vincent, thank you for coming. Reno, Rude, this is Vincent creator of the Life Chip." Rufus waved a hand at the black hair and red eyed scientist. Rufus pierced Vincent with a say-so gaze. "Vincent, I want you to board the _Shera _and spy on Yunalesca. I want to know why my darling is awake. You can go." Reno raised a casual hand, though his eyes were all but casual. Rufus nodded and waved a hand.

"I can't go spying on these people. I have a racing team! We can't join the minor leagues, we only have five people! And a team needs to have at least two mechanics!" Reno exclaimed, holstering his electric nightclub. Rude nodded as well, arms crossed. Vincent coughed and looked at Rufus pointedly, and waved a hand, covered by a mechanical claw. Rufus sighed and opened a folder, promptly named _Painful Oblivion_.

"These two men, Tidus and Baralai are two racers. They have no mechanics, though Yunalesca makes needed adjustments and the such. If you can their team, you're set. You can become famous racers. Now what do you say? Will you join Vincent in this operation? This mission is a way-point for your future. Reno, do you want your mother to stay in the slums?" Reno shook his head, then nodded, to show his willingness for the mission. Rude nodded shortly after. Rufus looked at Vincent.

"Vincent, it is up to you to give her that enhancement. Go." Rufus waved his hand in dismissal. The three men left. Rufus stood up as the door slammed shut and walked to a rectangular shaped coffin. He opened the box and looked down at a dark chocolate brown face with closed eyes. Tears surprisingly sprung to Rufus eyes and he looked down at the newest N.E.EP.H.I.L.I.M android named Belladonna. This android was stronger than Yunalesca. As this was Yuna's destroyer, her liberator and her adversary.

"Forgive me, Yunalesca, my darling. Forgive my unworthy soul. Destroy this woman, destroy Bevelle's spawn, and destroy this pawn on this chessboard. Save me from her." Rufus pleaded, closing the lid. "I have taken her most prized possession, the very thing that can destroy you. I have given you her gift. I have changed it to your coding. For the love of all the aeons, destroy this pawn, before she destroys you."

_**The Shera, Besaid Docking Port – Seraphim's Eyes**_

"The probability of such an event is nearly improbable. The World that Never Was does exist. It cannot and will not be destroyed." Yuna stated in a firm voice. Tidus snorted and pointed a finger at a page in a history book and smiled smugly at Yuna. Baralai peered over the edge of his book and arched a brow delicately. This argument had been going on for nearly half and hour, and Yuna was winning, ten-to-zero, the latter being Tidus. Wilhelm laughed and waved his hand and created a hologram image.

"The World that Never Was – Zanarkand – was not and is not a Ronso tribe. It is the greatest city in Spira, its power overriding Bevelle's own government. It is a powerful city, even more powerful than our _holy _city of Bevelle." Yuna pressed, snapping the book shut firmly and standing up. "Cid is in need of my help. Wilhelm, try and reason with this imbecile." Yuna instructed and turned on her heel. She left the small den and walked down the hall, past the bedrooms, to the control room.

"Ah, Yuna you're here. Good. Give me hand with this, darlin'. Just grab the wire and attach it to your hard drive. I want ya to upload the newest Ether spells into the Ether Circuit. Most of 'em are healin' and revivin' spells, but a few are self-help. Thought you might want to get a few, since ya only have Dex Down and Medica and Analyze." Cid explained as Yuna attached a wire to her wrist. "Choose which ones you want and add them to your list." Yuna nodded as a small list appeared in front of her eyes.

"Medica All, Boost 1, Jamming, Medica Rest, Reverse, Refresh, Mode A7, Down Force, Down Ether, Gate and Safety Level." Yuna wrote off as her chosen Ether skills. "Fourteen skills are more than enough, as Wilhelm is the spell caster and I am the sheer strength of our team." Yuna decided, tugging the wire off her wrist and rotating it experimentally. Cid nodded and closed a screen before turning to his daughter.

"Bring Wilhelm down next, I want him to learn a few new spells, too. You an' Wilhelm can only learn a few special spells. I'm going to be downloading Ethers especially for you, Yuna. You haven't been able to use any of your special attacks lately. So is that okay with you?" After Yuna gave a short nod, he sent her away with a wave of his hand. Yuna left the control room and went back to the small den. Wilhelm and Tidus were in a heated argument about the physics of the human body, say as, a said person – _Cid_, Tidus had declared in a rather loud, boorish tone – was dropped from the top of the _Shera_, would the said person's weight double.

"The person's weight would double, of course. Wilhelm, Cid wants to see you. He wants you to download more Ether spells to your hard drive." Yuna interjected, waving a hand vaguely in the direction of Cid's location. Wilhelm gave Tidus a dirty look and a rude hand gesture and left with an air of dignity and wounded male pride. Yuna looked back at Tidus, before walking to the small window and peering through the clear flexi-glass. She spotted three people rapidly approaching the _Shera_. Yuna turned around and pierced Baralai with a gaze.

"Baralai, please go inform Cid that we will have three guests boarding the _Shera_. We will need two rooms and tell him to expect them for dinner." Yuna instructed crisply, turning to face the door. Baralai nodded responsively and trotted out through the door. Yuna followed Baralai a short while at a dignified pace before heading off down to the launch pad. The three people, Yuna recognized. One was an old – Yuna was hesitant to call him a friend – ally from Zanarkand, Vincent Valentine, Yuna remembered. And the other two worked at the _Amethyst Lily_. Reno and Rude, Yuna recalled. Vincent looked at Yuna, both happy and saddened.

"Yuna." Vincent was now beside the said android, as he had teleported to her side. Yuna turned to look at the ex-scientist and looked at him. His ruby eyes were locked to Yuna's pretty twilight blue ones. The man hesitantly touched the girl's cheek and her forehead. His mechanical fingers twined themselves in the android's long tresses of moon. Yuna's hands halted Vincent's clawed one. Her gaze was strangely raw with emotion. She brought his hand to her lips and gently kissed them. Reno and Rude looked at each other, startled and down right bamboozled. Yuna's free hand reached back and traced the spider shaped scar. She looked at him, saddened.

"You did not have to choose that path. You could have joined me stasis." Yuna accused gently. Vincent shook his head. Yuna motioned for the three males to follow her. Yuna started a commentary. "The _Shera_ is an A-Class transport ship of both passenger and cargo. While you are on the _Shera_ you are expected to follow all rules, regulations, protocol and commands. Refusal or rebellion of any rules or protocol, you will be dropped off the ship, no refund, whether we are on land, in air or over water. We are a well oiled machine and we do not welcome infidels and fools on our ship. Curfew is at exactly midnight and anyone caught out of their rooms shall spend the next day cleaning the engine."

Breakfast is at six each morning, if you are late, you do not have the luxury to eat. Lunch is at twelve and the same rules apply." Yuna padded in a key-code and the door in front of them opened. "Dinner is at six exactly, and the same rules apply as lunch and breakfast. Failure to comply will result in an early departure. These are your rooms. Vincent, you are on the left. Reno, Rude you are the right. My door is five doors down, if you need assistance, otherwise, do not bother me." The three men nodded their heads slowly.

"Yuna, I have a gift from Rufus Shinra. He said when you saw it; you would know what it is. I've brought your old weapons and military uniform. Rufus did not come himself because of his own personal agenda." Yuna nodded her head and accepted the box in Vincent's hands. "This is the Omega Relic, as you already know. It enhances your powers and gives back your old skills. Shall I add it to your circuitry or can you do that yourself?" Yuna motioned for Vincent to follow her. The serene, enigmatic man followed his old comrade.

When they were in the safety of Yuna's own tune-up room the two got to work. Yuna laid her body out in the stasis coffin and closed the lid. Vincent locked the lid and placed the Omega Relic in a small porthole above the head. The said man walked over to the computer next to the box and typed in a long line of numbers and letters. He frowned as ACCESS DENIED flashed across the screen in bold, red block letters. He re-typed the access codes in and scratched his forehead in thought and frustration.

"Yuna, you need to let me to type in your access code. I promise I won't do anything funny. I just need to hack into your system fifteen minutes, thirty tops. Okay? I promise I won't hurt you." The screen cleared. "Vitals are up and working…conundrum vitality is zero. No signs of any previous hack-ins, bugs or virus in the last thousand years. Y Chromosome Chip and Sister Cell program are still up and running…no signs of problems within the programs. You've added a few spells….healing and self-help. Good. No bugs or viruses in your battle system…but there was one six months ago…? Jennova Virus….that is a serious problem if not completely destroyed…hold on a moment and I'll get rid of it…" Vincent looked through a stack of CDs and computer programs and picked up one in a black case.

"Three…two…one…virus destroyed. No signs of obvious damage due to virus destruction…okay…we're moving to the next system. Sector three…virus core…my God…there are thousands of virus in here…its okay. Don't panic…I can get rid of it…commence virus destruction…okay…the viruses are gone. Moving on to next sector. Okay, were here. Let me add a few things…code please. Okay, I've got it. 986253722…count down stared to add Omega Relic. Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one. Omega Relic added. I need to add a few things to make sure this will work…" Vincent added backup programs and codes to re-enable the Omega Relic if it was shut down. Then, he added one, last program. He hooked up his Comm. Device/cell phone with a design of a silver Cerberus to the computer and downloaded the same program. 986253722, he added to a password protected document. Now he could freely check and fix any problems Yuna had, if the opportunity arrived.

"Logging out of system. Okay…you can come out." Vincent shut the computer down and lifted the flaps of the stasis coffin open. The black and grey Omega Relic was on Yuna's forehead like a circlet. The circlet starts as a single, solid piece of metal, a few centimeters wide, colored grayish-black. Once it went half-way through her eyebrows it became thinner where it traced the upside-down silvery-grey triangle. The bottom tip of the triangle was in perfect alignment with the bridge of Yuna's nose. In black letters read her true name: _YUNALESCA_.

"Here are your clothes and old weapons. Change into them; I'll wait for you outside." Vincent placed the packages on the stasis coffin, turned on his heel and left the room. Yuna opened the larger box. **_Sachiel0000000001 _**and **_Leyna0000000001_** were two large shruiken. In the center was a circle with a fist-sized hole. From the south, east, north and west directions came three-foot long spikes with barbed edges. It was shaped like a giant, hellish cross. The names were tattooed on the north spike with the word **_Yunalesca0000000001_** on the southern edge. They were extremely heavy that only one with a large multitude of strength could freely wield. That was why they were made specifically for Yuna. Next was a gun similar to **_Evangelina_**, though it was imprinted with **_Evangeline0000000001_** with her name below it.

The uniform was colored black and grey, the colors of the Omega Relic, as Yuna belonged to the Omega Fraction Military Unit. The pants were ankle long and skin-tight. On either side of the pants, on the upper thigh, were pockets, just made for carrying her twin pistols with a small flap to secure the finger hold in the pants. Covering the cloth holster on each side were pieces of Omega Breed chocobo hide that wrapped tightly around her legs and secured by belts, a single inch apart from each other and the top and bottom, Cerberus shaped buckles held the leather straps in place. Around her waist was a black belt with a silver buckle in the shape of the Cerberus logo on Vincent's own gun. Boots went up half-calf made of steel-enforced Omega Chocobo leather with silver Cerberus buckles and tight leather straps. Heels made of black steel made a sole a few centimeters thick.

An extremely tight camisole covered the upper body, followed by a light Omega Chocobo leather breastplate. Over the breastplate came a much looser long sleeved shirt. The shirt was tucked into the pants and secured by the belts. A heavy, but extremely thin, bullet proof vest of Omega Chocobo hide came over the long sleeve and was tightly secured with Cerberus buckles and straps. Elaborate leather straps with the occasional Cerberus buckle held the two large shruiken in place. Gauntlets went up to the elbow and were tightly held with leather straps every inch, held with Cerberus buckles. The middle, ring and pinky fingers were covered by the hide, whilst the thumb and pointer were uncovered. Around the neck is a blood red cloak, with a high collar, adorned with belts and small silver buckles around the high collar.

Yuna put her hair up in small French cornrows with small silver and black Cerberus coins at the edges, she then proceeded to put her hair up into a high ponytail with two braids framing her face that looped under her ears and connected to the braid above her ear. Around her neck she placed a heavy necklace made of a metal/cloth alloy colored back with a grayish-silvery piece of rectangular metal, followed by two vertical rectangle ones, one on each side and a circular piece of metal on each side. N.E.P.H.I.L.I.M. and her name were in black letters on the large rectangle.

She met Vincent outside with a nod. Vincent looked at Yuna's old military apparel and nodded his consent. Vincent was dressed in similar attire, though he had no breastplate and vest, as he was the leader of the Omega Fraction Military Unit. His Cerberus pistol was in a pants holster similar to Yuna's with the protective amour over the upper thigh. Vincent fished something out of his pants pocket and tossed it to Yuna. The said female android snatched it out of the air and strung it on her pointer finger and peered at the gift. It was a Cerberus charm, an exact prototype of the charm hanging off Vincent's pistol. Yuna met Vincent's eyes curiously.

"That's for your gun. All members of the Omega Fraction have an exact copy. You were my only gun wielder, so it seemed appropriate. It will give you passage to all sectors in Bevelle, including the palace, citadel, fortress and military base." Vincent explained softly, walking up to Yuna. He placed his clawed fingers on the underside of her chin. He tipped her face to one side and kissed the underside of her jaw softly. Yuna peered at him through unbelievably narrowed eyes. Vincent stepped back.

"You've a job to do, am I right? Oh, stop by my room later. I have a mission for you." Yuna nodded shortly and turned on her heel. She tossed one, last suspicious glance at Vincent and continued down the hall to the main room. Cid was waiting patently, absentmindedly running his fingers over the grooves of the steering wheel. His glass green eyes sought Yuna's blue ones lethargically and his mouth gave her a lazy grin. Yuna nodded her head and walked up to the said captain.

"Hey, there Yuna! Vin and his boys on the ship, eh? Ah, never mind. I need ya to load in a new security system for the _Shera_ and add a new navigation program to your computer data. Sister will be by to help ya. Can ya do that? I need to head back into town; I forgot to get a few parts for the engine. I'll be gone for a few hours. Can you handle it?" Yuna nodded indolently and gathered the CDs Cid accumulated in his hands. Cid kissed Yuna on her pale forehead and whistled a tune as he turned around and walked to the large, sliding double doors.

"Afternoon, Yunie!" Sister chirped cheerfully as she entered right as Cid left. Yuna bobbed her head at Sister as she bowed her body to insert the first disk into the hard drive. A large screen appeared, with multiple smaller screens, all flashing obnoxiously. Sister jogged over and pointed to the smallest screen. She instructed Yuna to press_ yes_,_ proceed_,_ no _and _connect to mainframe_. Yuna exited out of the screen and Sister commanded her to go to the largest screen on the desktop. _Proceed_,_ install_,_ connect_,_ yes_,_ yes_,_ yes_,_ proceed_,_ install _and _I agree to the terms and protocol_ were pressed and the main screen for the new security system was installed.

"Okay, go to the screen with all the blank, white boxes. Use Kimahri's, Bother's, Wilhelm's, my own, and your connection code as the passwords. Good, now press _proceed _and let it load. Okay, now exit out. You can handle the rest, right? Good, give me the navigation program and I'll log into your account to add it. Two birds with one stone, no?" Sister giggled as Yuna wrote down her password. Sister took the scrap of computer paper and skipped over to her own console. Yuna turned her attention back to her own screen and continued to work.

"Sister, I would like you to help me translate something. I bought a special mirror, and I need to figure out how to add it to the Omega Relic. You are proficient in the Al Bhed and Old Zanarkandian language. Will you aid me?" Yuna asked as she shut down her computer console. "I would also like you to look at my sketches for a new layout for the Control Room." Sister nodded her agreement and the two females left the Control Room, locking it with the new passwords for the security system. They two female androids wandered down a few doors and entered Yuna's room. Yuna motioned for Sister to look at the mirror on her desk.

"This is the item I purchased. It is called the _Mirror of Zanark_. It is a weapon of great power and only one of my kind can use it. I have changed the molecular code so it matches my own DNA, however, I cannot fathom how to add it to my system or the Omega Relic. Do you have any idea of how to add it to my system?" Sister bent down to look at the golden mirror. It was an old thing, probably made before the war, and most likely came from the most exclusive parts of the Farplane, the Id of the Farplane. Sister looked more closely at the mirror.

The looking glass was eight inches in diameter, made of gold alloy with whorls all about the one inch gold border and back side. One the back were bronze and copper people, their backs showing, much like the people of the Gagazet Fayth. Their arms were out stretched, reaching towards the middle. The woman wore long skirts on their posterior, and the men simply wore X shaped straps on their backs. Some wore jewelry on their arms, other had armlets or gauntlets.

In the center was a woman, the woman was shapely and tall. Her hair was long and flowing in a breeze, most the tresses flowed away from the scalp, though some stood stoic by the woman's posterior. The woman wore nothing, having only the shape of a woman and only wearing webs of silver. The woman was barefoot, and going up her legs were silver webs, holding clusters of circles every few inches. On her arms were the same webs, studded with diamonds and crystals and White Materia. On her each of her cheeks was a small cluster of circular White Materia. The woman's right arm was clasped, and held to her chest, the other arm was held straight out. And the surface of the mirror was like water, it held the same crystal clear quality, though only Yuna could make the mirror properly work.

Sister frowned and traced the smallest lines of Al Bhed. Translated it simply meant that whoever had this held a phenomenal force of power, something that could alter the power of the Farplane and change the strength of the aeons. _Ye who holds this holds the power of the unfettering of ye world. Ye be warned that ye who uses it can change ye power of ye eons, and ye own strength. _Sister frowned and ran her fingers through her chestnut brown hair, thoroughly frustrated. She turned to look at Yuna.

"The only way," Sister began, irritate, "to use the mirror, I think, is to find something from the Farplane. Or at lease I think so. But I'm not all that sure. Maybe you should as Seymour or another one of the Knights. I'm sure they'd know." Sister continued, a bit more cheerful. Yuna gently took the mirror in her hands and placed it back it the mirror's respective box. Sister hugged Yuna consolingly and kissed her cheek. Yuna looked at the box, thinking of the mirror, what it said and the possible interference of the Farplane.

"I am going to the temple. I will find answers there." Yuna announced, whispering. Sister smiled and patted Yuna on the cheek. Sister gave Yuna a scheming wink and skipped out of the room. The android tucked the mirror under her vest along with the Crest of Valefor and the Apocrypha of Zanark. Yuna left her room shortly after Sister left and made her way down to Vincent's room. Reno, Rude, Baralai and Tidus were talking in the racer's room. Arguing, mostly likely, by the shouts and heated discussions. Yuna arrived outside Vincent Valentine's door and knocked loudly. Vincent's voice came and told the android to enter.

"Your assistance is needed. I would like you to join me; I need to revisit the temple. It is of the utmost importance." When Yuna saw no response from Vincent, she played her trump card. "It is about the significance of the Omega Relic. I believe it deals in the importance of the _Mirror of Zanark_. I ask you again, do you wish to join me?" Vincent nodded shortly. He placed Cerberus in its holster, his cloak around his neck and grabbed a few other do-dads. Once the man was ready, the two left.

_**Besaid Isle (Valefor) Temple – Valefor's Eyes**_

It was a little girl who gave them the needed information. She was blind, but Vincent and Yuna couldn't see her eyes. They couldn't see the youngling's eyes for one simple reason. The little girl's eyes were sewn shut. When Yuna first seen the girl – who called her self Aeris – she had known something was different about the girl, the way she spoke. She didn't seem corporeal or tangible, even though Vincent had stopped the girl from tripping over her own feet. This little girl held all the answers.

"This way. This way is the end." Aeris told them gravely. They were at the elevator that would lead them down to the Cloister of Trials. Her hand was linked in Yuna's, as the girl seemed to like the android. Yuna didn't openly object, or enjoy it; her face was set in stone, the strange sadness in her eyes and mouth and the coldness around her. Same old, same old. The girl didn't seem to notice the android's rigid stance, or, perhaps, the girl ignored it. Vincent's hand seemed to always stray to his gun, as if he felt uneasy in such a holy place.

"Do not fear me, do not fear Valefor, do not fear Eris and do not fear the Farplane." Aeris said to Vincent, as they descended into the cloister. Vincent didn't seemed shocked or surprised or even suspicious, he just gave the girl a short, curt nod and turned his attention to a dancing glyph in front of him. Yuna seemed indifferent, as she blandly looked at the walls, not even her eyes flicking around to look at the dancing glyphs. The young girl pulled them off the elevator and to the large double doors.

"I can fix cloister, wait here." The girl instructed softly as she darted through the double doors. Yuna and Vincent followed the youngling girl through the doors and fell into step with the girl, as she touched the glyph. The glyph turned acid green and a stairway descended into the lower levels. The walls were painted with glyphs and drawings of Valefor as Aeris took the sphere from the protruding altar. The youngling girl danced over to the large, red, double doors and placed the glass green sphere in the centre of the door.

"Come on, we have to get to the end. We must be free." Aeris rushed, tugging Yuna's unresponsive hand. Yuna's fingers curled around Aeris' hand and let the youngling lead Yuna further in. Vincent's hand rested on Yuna's free wrist. The pathway beyond the door seemed darker, more ominous than when Yuna was first here. The said android was casting glances every where, waiting if a creature would jump out and attack the three wanderers. Vincent must have caught Yuna's uneasiness – if one could call it that – as his grip on Yuna's wrist increased.

"Come on, we're close now! Hurry up! We can't keep mother waiting!" Aeris hastened, tugging harshly on Yuna's hand. "She's got what you need! I need to find Valefor! She needs me!" Yuna lets the girl tug and rush her beyond to where the next elevator was awaiting them. Vincent rushed beside them, casting glances from Yuna to Aeris. The youngling girl pushed Yuna into elevator and waited for Vincent. Yuna and Vincent locked gazes as the girl paced like a caged animal as the elevator descended.

"Eris…Aeris…Eris…Aeris. Strife…Harmonia…Strife…Harmonia. Rivalry…peace…rivalry…peace." Yuna murmured softly. "Sister or daughter? Eris is older …twenty…Aeris…younger…six. Aeris, is Eris – Valefor – your mother?" Aeris looked at Yuna, then nodded slowly. Yuna made a noncommittal sound and her hand rested on the butt end of _Evangelina_. Vincent followed suit in Yuna's action and placed his fingers on the end of Cerberus. Aeris seemed happier now, as she seemed glued to Yuna's leg.

"Come on, mother is waiting! Eris can't wait much longer! Don't be a cruel tenshi! Please, we must hurry!" Aeris ran off the elevator, Yuna jogging instantaneously behind the young girl. Vincent walked behind them at a slower pace, looking in every shadowy place and every nook and cranny. Yuna and Aeris already disappeared into the Chamber as Vincent walked up the velvet staircase. The shield-shaped door slammed down, right before Vincent's feet. He took his clawed hand and ran it down the door. It shuddered and opened.

"Be my liberator, my cruel tenshi." Vincent watched as Yuna drew _Evangelina_ and aligned the pistol to Aeris' heart. The girl opened her arms wide, threw back her head and thrust her chest forward, as if she was Moses. The Cerberus charm jangled against Yuna's wrist as she snapped _Evangeline _from its holster and pointed at Vincent's neck. Yuna glanced at Vincent, as if telling him: _move and you shall meet a swift end_. The said female android snapped her gaze to Aeris, who was waiting for her verdict from her executioner.

"Relinquish your pain unto me." _Evangelina _went off. The silver bullet logged itself in the young girl's heart. The girl smiled warmly at Yunalesca-Eris Megami and fell to the amber-red glass below her. The girl's blood leaked out onto the surface, where it began to shimmer. Aeris began to sink into the surface, slowly, like a body being put at sea. It was a slow descent, like watching a coin sink in honey or thick oil. The female android named Yunalesca-Eris holstered both her pistols as Vincent walked up to her.

"_It's over. We're together now." _It wasn't Yuna's voice. It had a strange watery quality to it, as if she was speaking underwater. Yuna's eyes had glowed an unearthly twilight blue, as it was her color, but darker, like an extremely light turquoise. She held her arms out, as if Vincent was to go into the android's arms. The man didn't refuse. The said man walked into the girl's arms, where she placed her hands softly on the back of his head and guided the man's head to the conjunction between her neck and shoulder. Then a flash of darkness, a silvery-blackish-platinumish flash – a pretty flash really – blinded Vincent's blood red eyes. Yuna forced his head to her collarbone.

"Welcome to the Id of the Farplane, N.E.P.H.I.L.I.M. Yunalesca-Eris Megami 0000000001 and Scientist Vincent Valentine of the Omega Fraction. Sincerely from Aeon Valefor, Spirit of the Spirits, Protector of Besaid and from Eon Aeris, Sub-Spirit of Spirits and Protégé and Daughter of the Protector of Besaid." The spirits were speaking through Yuna. Vincent let go of Yuna and looked around. Id was a dark place.

Id seemed to be the dungeon or hell of the Farplane. It was pitch black with stone pillars either made of reddish-black ebony or dried blood. Purple flames in brackets and torches covered the walls on all levels, shedding light on depictions of death, blood, pain, anguish and discord. The floor was sticky and wet and it smelled of both dried and flesh blood. Dead bodies with cut throats pinned open and eyes gouged out littered the floor in piles. Other had spikes out of their heads, others were riddles and threaded with spiked or razor ridded chains.

Yuna's pale hair was the only whiteness in the room. The coins sparkled purple as she grabbed Vincent's wrist and led him between the piles to the most horrifying thing. It was a throne of bones from both human and animals alike. The bones weren't the normal pure white they were, instead, a dull, dead purplish black. The skeletons reached a great height, nearly one hundred feet, with stairs made of human and animal femurs, calfs, and tibias. At the very tippy-top there was a slight curve where twenty coeurl and basilisk skulls laid right above the throne itself. Two human skulls – both male, Vincent noted dryly – made the heads of the tibia armrests. A woman was splayed, sitting sideways on the throne, drinking marrow from a Chocobo femur.

The woman wore a shaving of an old frock; it was once a pretty color of pale lavender. But the pinafore was now a dulled grayish purple, with the hem in thin strips that stopped about the pubic bone. The sleeves were all but gone, only having the smallest of strips dance down the woman's moonshine pale skin. The neckline was almost nonexistence, the remainder barely covering the woman's breasts. The woman had many bracelets covering both of her ankles and wrists. Three necklaces adorned her pale neck. On the woman's bony hip was a kusari-gama stained with blood, guts and bone fragments alike. The woman spotted the two intruders of Farplane Id and slinked down the stairs with cat's grace.

"Welcome to Id," The woman said in a prettily raspy-like voice, waving her Chocobo femur down. "I am Sire, the darker side of Eris. I suppose you want the Alpha Relic or maybe the Beta Relic. Oh, which one is it? Alpha or Beta? The first or second? Chose correctly and you will survive. Chose wrong and you will join my other children." Sire absentmindedly waved her femur at a random pile of bodies. Yuna looked at Sire and stepped forward, holding out a single hand, leaving the other to hover at the butt end of one of her guns.

"The others before me were greedy and said both were the correct. Others before me said Alpha because it is the first. Other before me said Beta because it was the second and why would Alpha be the correct one. They are all wrong. It is neither Alpha nor Beta. It is Alpha-Omega Relic." Yuna answered Sire. Sire nodded and smiled. Sire motioned for Yuna to follow her up to the throne. Yuna placed her hand on the gun and followed Sire up the stairs of bone. She motioned for Vincent to stay behind.

"No one before has ever said that. You are very much different from both human and android alike. But you aren't even full android are you? Well, Yunalesca-Eris, sister dear, take what is rightfully yours. I have awaited the longest time for my sister to save me from my burden. Where did I put that…? Ah, there you are. Sister dearest I present the Alpha-Omega Relic. Now listen, dear, this allows you to place the mirror and all other crests in the Omega Relic, it also allows you to any of the Farplanes you've ever been too. So far you can come to the Farplane Id. Visit me often, dear. But you better get back to your ally and back to the _real_ world. Ta ta for now." Sire cawed brilliantly. She handed a small box to Yuna and unbuckled the kusari-gama from her belt and handed it to the android.

Without further ado the said female android rushed down the stairs – leaping actually. Yuna latched her hand onto Vincent's clawed ones and once again placed his head at her collarbone. The flash came once again, darker and more blinding than before. Even Yuna was affected, as she had to shield her eyes thirty seconds in. When the light faded, the two were back at the Valefor Temple, hanging onto each other for dear life. Yuna gently pushed Vincent away and looked down at amber-red glass dome. The blood was gone and Yuna held a box and a bloody kusari-gama in her left hand.

"A blood sacrifice was needed and Aeris needed to be reunited with her mother." Yuna explained, wiping blood from her hands onto her pants. Vincent frowned and rubbed his temples. Yuna's nose curled slightly as she hefted the kusari-gama into her hand and blood smeared her hand. Vincent offered Yuna his cloak. She took the red article of clothing and wrapped the kusari-gama in it. Vincent winced slightly. Blood was hell to get out. Yuna slung the weapon in her belt and motioned for Vincent to leave ahead of her.

"Why did you kill her, Yuna? You could have simply cut her." Yuna turned around to look at Vincent. She waved to the amber dome vaguely with her left hand as she placed the Alpha-Omega Relic under her vest. Vincent, to sedate Yuna, turned on his heel to look at the glass dome. The dome seemed happy, as it was pulsating slowly, as if content.

"Aeris wanted death, so she could be reunited with her mother. I did the most humane thing…just like what you did with Wilhelm." Yuna told him, with her matter-of-fact tone. Vincent nodded his acknowledgement and gently took Yuna wrist with his hand. They were done here, they're job here was complete. They got what they needed. The two left the Chamber.

**_The Shera, Besaid Docking Port – Seraphim's Eyes_**

When Vincent and Yuna boarded the _Shera_, the first thing on their mind was to revert the crest and mirror in the Relic. The ship was quiet as the two made their way down to the tune-up room. They didn't honestly question _why_ the ship was so quiet, they were just worried about the Relic and protecting Zanarkand's history. Only a few of the lamps were on as they walked down the hall to the tune-up room, casting shadows of the two on the walls in a demonic, twisted fashion. Yuna padded in the key code and opened the door smoothly.

"Take out the Ether Circuit and add the Alpha-Omega Relic to it, wire them together. Place the mirror, crest and kusari-gama in the Omega Relic. Nothing destructive will happen. Use the computer, please. I do not like to be touched during a tune-up. It is a simulation of a woman's monthly cycle shortly after or during if I am touched." Yuna instructed coldly. Vincent let Yuna place the items in his hands. Yuna laid out in the coffin, much like before, waiting for Vincent to lay the newest relic on her under forearm, right on top of the Ether Circuit.

Vincent placed the circuit on said arm and closed the lid, snapping it shut. He walked over to the computer and turned it on. The male typed in Yuna's code and merged the two circuits together; the stench of burning metal reached his nose as he continued. Once he was done, he fixed Yuna's arm and placed the mirror and crest together on the head piece. Vincent walked back to the computer and added the mirror and crest to the Omega Relic. Finished with the two more important items, he walked to the coffin and opened it.

"The kusari-gama is dirty. We better clean it first before we add it to your system. The blood might funk up your system and lead to viruses or shut downs." Vincent explained handing the cloak covered weapon to Yuna. Yuna took the weapon with a nod and attached it to her belt. "We can clean it in the kitchen, they won't mind if we use the sink. Besides, we can cook them breakfast as an apology. It _is _only five in the morning." Vincent waved to the clock on the wall, with archly raised eyebrows.

"Good. Shall you go to your room and sleep? Or shall you come with me? I am going to get Bambi from my room. She will be able to read the exact make of the weapon and power damage I can cause if I wield it." Vincent made a noncommittal sound and followed Yuna. Bambi was blissfully unaware of the return of her mistress and the scientist that helped to co-create her. Yuna placed a stealthy hand on Bambi's mouth and picked the bunny up, precautious and nodded for Vincent to head out in front of her.

"Bambi tends to have a voice that carries over the entire ship," Yuna explained as the left her room and walked down the hallway to the kitchen, "So I simply had to stifle her cries if she would have awoken. Yes, I know that you helped to create my familiar of the sorts, she was too much like me, so I re-created her into my polar opposite." Yuna interjected, holding up her free hand to stop Vincent from speaking. "It was needed. Bambi is the only thing that can make me smile. If she was like me, I would still be unhappy and emotionless." Yuna opened the door to the kitchen and let Vincent pass her.

Inside the kitchen, Yuna deposited the mechanical bunny on the table and walked to the sink. She reached under the skin and pulled out a large, wide ceramic basin. She filled it with boiling hot water and dish soap. Yuna carried the basin over to the table and gently placed it on the table. She grabbed the kusari-gama and unwrapped it from the cloak. Once the weapon was free of the cloak's binding, the android dropped it into the hot water. Vincent's hand wandered over the basin, and dipped down to touch the water. Yuna's right hand went down on a vice grip on Vincent's wrist.

"No. The water is too hot for humans to touch." Yuna warned as she dipped her own hands it to scrub the dried blood away. "Please wake up Bambi for me. I need her to check the weapon." Vincent nodded shortly and poked the bunny in the stomach. The bunny rubbed her eyes and rolled over to her stomach. She greeted the two cheerfully. Yuna waved at the kusari-gama and Bambi looked at it for a moment. She squinted a moment before answering.

"The mace and scythe combination, just what you need." Bambi snorted. "But, anyways, it is made of a hybrid mix of what you were made from and a mix of frozen preflies and very much alive ones. A strange combination, but very powerful one at that. If you were to use it, the hit rate would be off the charts and you'd almost be unstoppable." Bambi continued as Yuna continued to wash the weapon. Vincent handed Yuna a towel as Yuna dunked the weapon once again underneath the water.

_**Farplane, Realm of the Aeons – Her Eyes**_

No-Name – Valefor – was worried, extremely worried. Her processor – Yunalesca-Eris – had accepted Sire's gift, which meant that Yuna was now the very creature that No-Name was. Her successor could freely use No-Name's power. Perhaps was No-Name too hurried to give the power to the female that smelled of _him_? No-Name was worried that Yunalesca-Eris would abuse her power as the Aeon of Spirit – in the so-called-_real_ world – and bring destruction on the world.

"No-Name, I am next." Ifrit thundered, his fire man sending sparkles everywhere. "Do you trust this woman? Did she smell of our master? Did she carry herself like the queen?" No-Name folded her wings against her back and pressed herself into the back of her alcove. She nodded her head slowly, fearfully. Only she fears the mighty fire wolf, as she is the weakest aeon. Ixion snorted disdainfully and threw her head back, her golden horn catching the light of the Prefly sun. No-Name bristled.

"Yes, she _does_ smell of him! Rather strongly, I might add." No-Name growled back. "And I have been given a name by our lord himself. I can to be called _Sorano_ from now on! The lord demands it! It is the greatest glory to give our powers to someone who can use them to bring back our ancestral home! She will be revered as our goddess!" Sorano continued, her wings flaring and writhing in the space above the alcove. Ifrit and Ixion looked at Sorano, awed. This girl first took Sorano's powers, thus meaning that her attacks would be stronger than all the others.

"Sorano," Shiva began playfully, "Do not bother to trust these infidels, they will only side with you because of this female's power. Do not be fooled by their play-acting. You and I have always gotten along, haven't we, Sorano? We've always sided with each other and protected each other – not to mention Anima – from the others. Think about that, shouldn't you pact with old friends?" Shiva concluded, picking at her blue nails, smiling winningly at Sorano. Sorano thought of what Shiva said, her words were very much true and made plenty of sense.

"You are very much right, Shiva. I will stand beside you and Anima." Sorano said and smiled back at Shiva. "But our lord is coming right now. We will conclude this later." Sorano sat back in a bed of flowers, outside the boundary of her alcove, and began to weave flowers into crowns. Their lord was the most powerful of beings, strong and powerful. Their lord entered their realm. He smiled at each of his creations before his face merged into something that was both serious and frightening.

"Sorano, I am glad to say you gave your power to the correct being." He began and smiled lovingly at Sorano. "But for the rest of you, I have grave news. A false goddess is out, trying to steal your crests. Her name is Belladonna, and she wields the same power as Yunalesca-Eris. Each and every one of you must make a false crest to keep her off of Yunalesca-Eris' scent. The mirror and two of the Omega Relics are in Yunalesca-Eris' grasp, which is good. It is up to you to keep our savior safe." Their lord finished quietly.

"This Belladonna is a N.E.P.H.I.L.I.M. just like Yunalesca-Eris, am I right?" Sorano asked quietly, brows furrowed. "Then, can't she tell a fake from the real? Each has its own personal scent. It will take weeks to make a new one, one crest." The lord nodded sadly and turned on his heel to leave. "But – wait, lord, if we work together, it would take much shorter. Can we be permitted to do that?" The man turned and smiled. He nodded his head serenely and kissed Sorano on her forehead.

"Exactly. It is up to you to keep our savior safe, darling. It is up to you." Their lord turned to look at the other aeons. "It is up to you to work together to protect Yunalesca-Eris from Belladonna. She has one companion named Barthello who is not a N.E.P.H.I.L.I.M., but is very powerful all the same. Be careful, my children. I would be lost, if I lost you." The male turned on his heel and left. Sorano and Shiva exchanged glances and held their hands out together, they clasped them. The offered their free hands to the other aeons.

"For once let the blood of the world work together in peace, to protect the only one that can save us." Sorano whispered quietly. Ixion and Ifrit looked at each other and clasped hands, unabashed and Ifrit linked hands with Sorano. Cindy, Mindy, Sandy, Yojimbo, Anima and Bahamut linked hands as well. Only this once they would work together. "This is the quickest way to make the false crests. State your name and your element. Valefor, I am the Spirit of the Spirits. I give my crest to the one most worthy." A crest made only out of Preflies wrapped around Sorano's neck. An exact copy of the one she gave Yunalesca-Eris nearly two weeks ago.

"Ifrit, Spirit of the Flames. I give my crest to the one most worthy." Ifrit's wild mane of hair sparked as a crest wrought its way around his wide neck, much like a flame. It burn against his skin and he smelled Ixion and Anima underneath his own fiery, musky, overpowering scent. He felt weaker than before, as it took a great deal from his own strength to create a false. He gently sagged against Valefor gently.

"Ixion, Spirit of the Lightning. I give my crest to the one most worthy." Ixion's golden horn grew brighter as a lighting borne crest wrapped around her neck and sparkled and snapped light lightning and thunder. Underneath her own scent of ozone, rain, smoke and grass was the sent of Ifrit, Bahamut and Anima. She did not feel as weak, as she had three who helped her.

"Shiva, Spirit of the Waters. I give my crest to the one most worthy." Shiva's neck felt extremely heavy; as a necklace made of ice, frozen chain and capture Preflies and wind froze her neck. Shiva smelled of frozen water, wet parkas, frozen fish, Preflies and ozone and underneath her strong, robust scent was Valefor, Anima and Yojimbo. Shiva was still standing strong.

"Bahamut, Spirit of the Elements. I give my crest to the one most worthy." Around Bahamut's childish neck came a pure gold necklace studded with stones of value. Bahamut smelled of the burning flames of the hearth, the scent of ozone before a lightning storm, the smell of freshly dewed grass, the scent of the flowery breeze and the sent of upturned earth. Underneath the smell was Ixion and the Magus Sisters.

"Anima, Spirit of the Winds. I give my crest to the one most worthy." Around her neck was a crest made of ebony that was lighter than wind and breezes. It was light and smelled of the winds of death, the winds of life, flowery breezes and the breezes that carried the sent of war, and sadness and anger. Underneath the sent was Ifrit, Ixion and Shiva.

"The Magus Sisters, Spirits of the Earth. We give out crest to the one most worthy." Around Sandy's neck – as she was the eldest sister of the three – came the crest that wrapped around her neck like a vine of thorns. It smelled of the rain forest, the upturned earth, the smell of flowers, the smell of moss, the smell of the trees and most of all the smell of pristine woods. And underneath the pretty sent was Ixion alone.

"Yojimbo, Spirit of the Metals. I give my crest to the one most worthy." Yojimbo's neck was weighted down with a heavy crest made of a multitude of metals, and it burned fiercely against his skin, life fire. And it smelled of newly burn and melded metal. It smelled of liquefied and wielded alloys and it smell of sweat, and smoldering heat. And underneath that strong scent was Shiva.

The aeons had worked together this once, and it was doubtful if they ever would again. But they had enough to stop Belladonna from killing their darling Yunalesca-Eris, and that was enough for them.

_Fin. Second chapter._

_Good, bad or otherwise? Sorry this took me so long to update. I had one hell of a writer's block, you see. No, really, I did. And the Plot Bunny was sick with the influenza, don't have any medicine for Plot Bunny influenza. Any ideas…bounce 'em off me. Hmm…I don't have any idea who the coupling will be, so give me ideas. But not Tidus…anyone but him…_

(1) Sire – pronounced Cy-Ra. Spell it backwards and what do you get? Eris! Woo! Eris Sire and Sire Eris.

**_I used the Ether crap from Xenosaga, so I don't own that. On another note: Thanks for those who reviewed…and I'll see you next time! PAR-TAY!_**

**_Alexandria, Writheheart, and the Plot-Bunnies-that-Live_**


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